REAL-TIME INNOVATIONS, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: Modern science and High-Energy Physics in particular, use scientific workflows to collect

Description

Modern science and High-Energy Physics in particular, use scientific workflows to collect and analyze extremely vast data sets using sophisticated computer systems that depend on high- performance data distribution and storage technologies. As the requirements of scientific data processing continue to outpace capabilities of even the most powerful computer systems, fundamentally new approaches must be developed. The underlying data distribution technology must support extreme data rates and must scale to 1000s of nodes. As development of scientific workflows is highly collaborative, seamless evolution of algorithms and input/output datatypes must be supported without disrupting or delaying workflow execution. Finally, reproducibility of scientific results requires support for data quality monitoring and provenance tracking, which often require robust integration with storage systems. Real-Time Innovations (RTI) proposes a new approach based on Data Distribution Service (DDS) for scalable and extremely high-throughput messaging for High-Energy Physics (HEP) applications. RTI Connextthe market-leading implementation of the DDS specificationhas been proven in high-performance real-time distributed systems. RTI Connext DDS provides discoverable data models, tunable quality-of-service, and extensible types with powerful support for type evolutionall of which are highly desirable in science data processing. In Phase I, RTI has proposed five key objectives to further enhance RTI Connext to support extreme-scale HEP applications: first, a communication transport based on kernel-bypass technology for high- throughput data transmission; second, support for physics data models to simplify migration to DDS; third, point-to-point and request-reply communication patterns for scientific equipment control; fourth, peer-to-peer data discovery for ease of deployment, installation, and management; and finally, seamless integration of data-in-motion with databases to enable provenance tracking. During Phase I, RTI will collaborate closely with Fermilab computer scientists to acquire HEP domain knowledge, to validate the proposed approach, and to define acceptable performance benchmarks. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: While the main objective of this research project is to meet the requirements of HEP and Astrophysics in particular, the resulting technology is applicable in a much broader context. For example, finance and healthcare domains often require systems that support extremely high throughput and low latency. Large-scale distributed systems in aerospace and defense, energy systems, factory automation, and transportation are critically dependent on having a robust data distribution middleware for physical infrastructure control and management. RTI consistently maintains a top 10% DOD SBIR Commercialization Achievement Index (CAI) rating. The technology developed under this SBIR will be readily applicable in several other commercial as well as government programs. RTI is experienced in commercializing technology, with 100s of successful customers.