ICM in collaboration with SCinet sets up a virtual lab for SC 2021 – The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, the most important annual event since 1988

“We wanted to write and let you know how much the SCinet Routing team appreciates the virtual lab that Jaroslaw Skomial and the University of Warsaw have setup for us to use to build a virtual version of the network we want to implement at the SC21 conference” – wrote the organizers in a thank you note.

 

SCinet – high performance network for the SC21 global conference is a key part of the event infrastructure. After last year’s event, which was completely virtual due to the pandemic, SC21 is scheduled to be held stationary from November 14-19 in St Louis, Missouri.

VIRTUAL LAB is a software version of the network built for SC21. It allows team members to test network architecture and configuration several months before implementation on real hardware in November. Jarosław Skomial from ICM University of Warsaw, a member of the SCinet Routing Team since 2018, is responsible for the implementation of the project.

Jarosław Skomiał is the chief network engineer at the Interdisciplinary Center for Mathematical and Computational Modelling (ICM) University of Warsaw.  Since 2016 he’s been leading the Data Center and Computer Network Services Team. In 2019, he was network architect during the production trial over the newly built Collaboration Asia Europe-1 100 Gbps transcontinental Warsaw-Singapore link.

 

We wanted to write and let you know how much the SCinet Routing team appreciates the virtual lab that Jaroslaw Skomial and the University of Warsaw have setup for us to use to build a virtual version of the network we want to implement at the SC21 conference.  

Modern networks and network automation take time to build, especially when integrating equipment from multiple vendors to work together. In the past we usually started the build on-site in October, which has limited our ability to adopt some of the modern tools. We started working in a virtual Lab for SC19 which showed us that it would be helpful, but the limitations on that lab made progress slow.  

The lab facilities your University has provided, and Jaroslaw’s time to set them up, are already making the build and test process easier for the team this year than it has ever been. We are excited to be able to focus more on the implementation and less on the lab details, so that we can deliver an excellent network for the SC conference.

Thank you for your support of SC and SCinet,


Debbie Fligor and Jessica Shaffer
SC21 Routing Co-leads


I’d like to echo the note of thanks from Debbie and Jessica regarding your support of SCinet and the virtual routing lab that Jaroslaw has set up for the SCinet team.  This virtual lab is a key part of SCinet being able to design and test the network in advance of the conference in November.  Thank you again for your support of SCinet and SC Conference Series, and we look forward to seeing you at SC21!


Lance Hutchinson
SC21 SCinet Chair

 

As we read on the conference website: SCinet takes a year to plan, a month to build, a week to operate, and a day to tear down. Designed and created each year for the conference, SCinet is a global collaboration of high-performance networking experts who provide the fastest and most powerful volunteer-built network in the world for the SC Conference.

Since SC91, SCinet has provided SC attendees and the HPC community with the innovative network platform necessary to connect, transport, and display HPC researches at SC from around the world. In addition to high-performance demos, SCinet supports wired and wireless connections for attendees to maintain connectivity with the rest of the world.

All about SCinet here

 

SC21 tagline is “Science & Beyond”  – this year the conference will focus on the application of HPC in various disciplines, from vaccine development to autonomous vehicle design. ICM has been actively participating in SC (The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis) for several years, presenting its achievements in the exhibition space (POL-SIN Data Transfer, GATO, VisNow, SCFE), supporting Warsaw Team during subsequent editions of SCC or taking part in panels devoted to HPC education (Studies in Computational Engineering).