Unroutable Traffic: Maintaining Trust and Integrity of the LHC Open Network Environment

Abstract

This paper explores the methods and results confirming the baseline assumption that LHCONE[1] (Large Hadron Collider Open Network Environment) traffic is science traffic. The LHCONE is a network conceived to support globally distributed collaborative science. LHCONE connects thousands of researchers to Large Hadron Collider (LHC) datasets at hundreds of universities and labs performing analysis within the global collaboration on high-energy physics. It is “Open” to all levels of the LHC as well as a short list of approved non-LHC science collaborations. LHCONE satisfies the need for a high performance global data transfer network of supporting scientific analysis. Even though LHCONE is a closed virtual private network, packets from non-LHCONE sites were found within the network on multiple occasions. This paper describes the findings, discusses the reasons and proposes some ideas on how to prevent “unroutable LHCONE packets” in order to maintain trust and integrity within the network.