Improving Data Mobility Through Modern Security Infrastructure
Jason Zurawski, Ezra Kissel, George Robb, Corey Eichelberger, Nathaniel Mendoza · 2025
Modern scientific use cases require effective mechanisms to transfer data between sources, analysis facilities, collaborators, and long-term archives. Data transfer is most efficient when dedicated machines, on purpose built scientific networks, are deployed to support the activity; a Science DMZ is one example of an approach to ensure high-performance use cases are supported. It remains the case that "converged network" design, e.g., general purpose infrastructure to support all use cases, features security infrastructure that impedes efficient data transfer which impacts performance of TCP data movement tools.This paper will investigate the current state of performance degradation for data movement when deployed through network security infrastructure. A set of tests are being prepared for deployment at the SC24 conference being held in November 2024 in Atlanta GA, USA, that will evaluate the performance of data transfer tools through a heterogeneous network environment: SCinet. These results will help guide future design and deployment of network infrastructure to support scientific activities.