[Federal Register: November 12, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 218)]
[Notices]
[Page 64095-64097]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12no03-42]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice DE-FG01-
04ER04-03; High-Performance Network Research: Scientific Discovery
Through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) and Mathematical, Informational,
and Computational Sciences (MICS)
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (OASCR)
of the Office of Science (SC), in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
hereby announces its interest in receiving grant applications for
projects in the high-performance network research program.
Opportunities exist for research with a primary focus on integrated
experimental networks to support high-impact applications in the
Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program and
for ultra high-speed network technologies under the Mathematical,
Computational, and Information Sciences (MICS) Division. More specific
information on this solicitation is outlined in the supplementary
information section below.
DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice DE-
FG01-04ER04-03, should be received by DOE by 4:30 p.m., e.s.t.,
December 15, 2003. A response to the preapplications encouraging or
discouraging a formal application generally will be communicated to the
applicant within 14 days of receipt. The deadline for receipt of formal
applications is 4:30 p.m., e.s.t., February 25, 2004, in order to be
accepted for merit review and to permit timely consideration for award
in Fiscal Year 2004.
ADDRESSES: All preapplications referencing Program Notice DE-
FG0104ER04-03, should be sent electronically to Dr. Thomas D. Ndousse,
Mathematical, Informational, and Computational Sciences Division,
Germantown Bldg./SC-31, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20858-1290. Email: tndousse@sc.doe.gov, Phone: 301-903-9960, Fax: 301-903-7774.
The preapplications should consist of two to three pages of
narrative describing the research objectives and technical
approach(es). Preapplications will be reviewed relative to the scope
and research needs of the ASCR ultra high-speed networks for high-end
scientific computing, as outlined in the summary paragraph and in the
Supplementary Information. The preapplication should identify, on the
cover sheet, the title of the project, the institution, principal
investigator name, telephone, fax, and e-mail address. The focus
element (SciDAC or MICS) for the preapplication should also be clearly
identified. A response to each preapplication discussing the potential
programmatic relevance of a formal application will be communicated to
the Principal Investigator within 7 to 14 days of receipt.
Formal applications in response to this solicitation are to be
electronically submitted by an authorized institutional business
official through DOE's Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS)
at: http://e-center.doe.gov/. IIPS provides for the posting of
solicitations and receipt of applications in a paperless environment
via the Internet. In order to submit applications through IIPS your
business official will need to register at the IIPS website. It is
suggested that this registration be completed several days prior to the
date on which you plan to submit the formal application. The Office of
Science will include attachments as part of this notice that provide
the appropriate forms in PDF fillable format that are to be submitted
through IIPS. IIPS offers the option of submitting multiple files--
please limit submissions to only one file within the volume if
possible, with a maximum of no more than four files. Color images
should be submitted in IIPS as a separate file in PDF format and
identified as such. These images should be kept to a minimum due to the
limitations of reproducing them. They should be numbered and referred
to in the body of the technical scientific proposal as Color image 1,
Color image 2, etc. Questions regarding the operation of IIPS may be e-mailed to the IIPS Help Desk at: helpdesk@pr.doe.gov or you may call
the help desk at: (800) 683-0751. Further information on the use of
IIPS by the Office of Science is available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html
.
If you are unable to submit the application through IIPS, please
contact the Grants and Contracts Division, Office of Science at: (301)
903-5212 or (301) 903-3604, in order to gain assistance for submission
through IIPS or to receive special approval and instruction on how to
submit printed applications.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Emerging large-scale experiments in many
areas of science, such as high-energy physics, nuclear physics, climate
modeling, biological sciences, etc., are anticipated to generate up to
several Petabytes of data that will be transferred to geographically
distant terascale computing facilities for analysis. The problems of
efficient transfer of Petabyte-scale data, remote visualization of the
resulting analysis, remote access to complex scientific instruments,
and efficient large-scale scientific collaboration over today's
networks all present serious technical challenges to networking and
science communities. Addressing these challenges calls for a new
generation of highly scalable transport mechanisms that can deliver and
sustain multi-Gbps to high-end scientific applications; agile
networking technologies that will make bandwidth on-demand possible;
innovative scalable cyber security systems that operate efficiently and
effectively at ultra high-speed (10 Gbps and beyond); intelligent
network services that enable scientists to use network infrastructures
with ease. These components are the critical building blocks of a new
generation of ultra high-speed networks for DOE high-impact science
applications.
The design of ultra high-speed networks that are effectively
coupled distributed high-impact science applications is especially
challenging because existing widely-deployed, low-speed network
technologies do not perform well at ultra high-speeds. For example,
transport protocols, such as the TCP and UDP stacks, intrusion
detection systems, network interface cards, network measurement tools,
firewalls, and the related middleware perform poorly at ultra high-
speed.
Research is needed to enhance the performance of existing
components and in some cases to develop radically new components that
work effectively and efficiently at ultra high-speed. In addition,
understanding how these components can be integrated to develop
production-quality, ultra high-speed networks that can deliver end-to-
end multi-Gigabits/sec to distributed
[[Page 64096]]
scientific applications is of significant importance.
These challenges will be addressed through an integrated program
that emphasizes fundamental research and experimental network
engineering activities designed to demonstrate the capabilities of
ultra high-speed networks under realistic high-end computing scenarios
for accelerated scientific discoveries. The integrated experimental
network pilots will be supported under the SciDAC program while the
fundamental networking research and development will be supported under
the MICS program. More information on DOE networking requirements for
distributed high-end application can be found in the following workshop
reports:
(1) DOE Science Networking Challenges Workshop: Roadmap to 2008:
http://www.es.net/hypertext/welcome/pr/Roadmap/index.html,
(2) Office of Science High-Performance Networking Planning
Workshop, http://doecollaboratory.pnl.gov/meetings/hpnpw/finalreprot/high-impact_science.pdf
,
(3) Ultra High-Speed Transport Protocols and Network Provisioning
Workshop: http://www.csm.ornl.gov/ghpn/wk2003.
A. SciDAC Program: Integrated Experimental Ultra High-Speed Networks
Background
Beyond the scientific computing and computational science research
embedded in DOE research programs, SC invests in a portfolio of
coordinated research efforts directed at exploiting the emerging
capabilities of terascale and petascale computing under the collective
title of Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC). The
research projects in the SciDAC portfolio respond to the extraordinary
difficulties of realizing sustained peak performance for those
scientific applications that require terascale and petascale
capabilities to accomplish their research goals. In recognition of
these difficulties, the SciDAC research projects are collaborative
efforts involving teams of physical scientists, mathematicians,
computer scientists, and computational scientists working on major
software and algorithm development for problems in the core research
programs of SC. Research funded in the SciDAC portfolio must address
the interdisciplinary problems inherent in ultra-scale computing,
problems that cannot be addressed by a single investigator or small
group of investigators.
This element high performance networks, focuses on using the
science applications in the SciDAC portfolio to test and validate the
capabilities of ultra high-speed networks. This effort is designed to
determine and demonstrate how ultra high-speed networks, high
performance middleware, and high-end science applications can be
seamlessly integrated to build a new generation network environment for
accelerating scientific discoveries. All grant applications submitted
under this element must have three distinct but integrated components:
the DOE Science UltraNet test and/or the Energy Science Network
(ESnet), a set of distributed high-end science SciDAC application
prototypes, and a suite of high-performance middleware tools and
services to efficiently couple the high-end science applications to the
underlying network. In addition, projects in this effort must satisfy
the following requirements:
[sbull] It must address ultra high-speed network capabilities and
at least one or more science applications of national and international
significance related to DOE's mission, and must have a high visibility.
[sbull] It must involve a distributed high-impact science
applications, preferably previously funded SciDAC science applications.
A complete description of the SciDAC program at: http://www.osti.gov/scidac/
.
[sbull] High-performance middleware or grid technologies must be
employed to couple the selected applications to the underlying high-
speed network infrastructures.
[sbull] It is expected that projects must use the DOE Science
UltraNet Testbed or segment of high-performance networks, such as ESnet
with comparable capabilities. Detailed information on the DOE Science
UltraNet testbed can be obtained at: http://www.csm.ornl.gov/ultranet, and that of ESnet at: http://www.es.net.
Specific network capabilities to be demonstrated in these
experimental network pilot projects may include but are not limited to
the following:
[sbull] Petabyte-scale data distribution engineering--ultra high-
speed data transfers over very long distances using enhanced TCP and
non-TCP protocols, SANs over wide-area networks, network data caching,
and dynamic network provisioning network technology for on-demand data
transfers, etc. This effort must include appropriate high-impact
science applications areas with significant needs for very high-speed
data transfers.
[sbull] Network monitoring infrastructure--a collection of scalable
network monitoring platforms, strategically located at impact science
sites and in peering points. This infrastructure must enable national
and international researchers to monitor the end-end performance of
networks, diagnose faults, and predict network performance at various
layers of abstraction including the application layer. The target
network environment for this infrastructure should be the DOE UltraNet
testbed and/or a segment of the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) which
operates 10 Gbps and above.
[sbull] Cyber Security Infrastructure for open science
Communities--a comprehensive cyber security infrastructure for a
community of scientists that will enable them to collaborate and share
distributed resources securely. The target science community must have
well-defined shared resources and a collection of appropriate
middleware services and policies to share them.
It is recommended that target science applications and tools
selected for the above project be selected from current SciDAC projects
or projects that are consistent with its vision. A complete list of
funded SciDAC projects can be found at: http://www.osti.gov/scidac/projects
.
B. MICS--Base Program: Ultra High-Speed Network Engineering
The MICS aspect of this solicitation deals with research and
development of ultra high-speed network technologies on a longer time
horizon. It focuses primarily on deployable network transport
protocols, advanced end-to-end network services, network-aware
middleware, and end-to-end dynamics provisioning technologies, all of
which must operate efficiently at ultra high-speed (10 Gbps and
beyond). The specific technologies of current interest include but are
not limited to the following:
[sbull] Ultra high-speed transport protocols scalable transport
protocol--stacks that deliver and sustain multi-Gigabits/second to
high-end applications efficiently on dedicated or shared single/
multiple ultra high-speed channels. Such protocols could involve the
extension of the existing TCP stacks or radical new non-TCP/IP
approaches that could interoperate with existing network
infrastructures.
[sbull] Dynamic provisioning technologies--agile network
technologies to provide on-demand optical channels, wavelength
scheduling, wavelength sharing, coarse-grain QOS to diverse science
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communities. In addition, such technologies must provide the capability
to establish packet-switched, circuit-switched, or hybrid optical paths
dynamically from a pool of wavelengths.
[sbull] Ultra high-speed cyber security systems--scalable cyber
security systems, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems,
authentication/authorizations systems, and related services that
operate efficiently at ultra high-speed.
[sbull] Ultra high-speed network measurement and analysis--
efficient tools and techniques for diagnosing, end-to-end performance
prediction of ultra high-speed network.
Applicants are encouraged to refer to the final report of the DOE
Science Networking Challenge: Roadmap to 2008 found at: http://www.osti.gov/scidac/projects.html
for additional information on SC
networking requirements.
Collaboration
Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other
institutions, such as: universities, industry, non-profit
organizations, federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research and
Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories,
where appropriate, and to include cost sharing wherever feasible.
Additional information on collaboration is available in the Application
Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program that is
available via the Internet at:
http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html.
Program Funding
It is anticipated that up to $5 million will be available for
SciDAC and MICS Programs; up to six to ten awards are anticipated,
contingent on availability of appropriated funds in Fiscal Year 2004
and the size of the awards. Multiple year funding is expected, also
contingent on availability of funds and progress of the research.
Awards are expected to be at most $1.2 million per year for
experimental ultra high-speed network research projects. Awards for
integrated experimental ultra high-speed networks research projects are
expected to be at most $1.2 million per year. Since integrated
experimental networking projects are expected to be multi-institution
and multi-disciplinary projects, awards under this notice would range
from $150,000 to $500,000 for participation in an experimental networks
project per participating project. Awards for ultra high-speed
networking engineering will range from $150,000 to $300,000 per year
for each single investigator. The funding period for all projects will
range from two to three years subject to availability of funds. Grant
applications funded under these programs will be handled as cooperative
agreements.
Merit Review
Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer
review) and will be evaluated against the following evaluation
criteria, which are listed in descending order of importance codified
at 10 CFR 605.10(d):
(1) Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project,
(2) Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach,
(3) Competency of Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed
Resources,
(4) Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
The evaluation under item 1, Scientific and/or Technical Merit of
the Project, will also consider the following elements:
(a) The potential of the proposed project to make a significant
impact to distributed Petabytes-scale distributed data archives and
other high-end science applications.
(b) The extent to which the results of the project are extensible
operational production high-performance networks, such as ESnet.
(c) The degree ultra high-speed networking technologies can inter-
operate with existing networking technologies.
The evaluation under item 2, Appropriateness of the Proposed Method
or Approach, will also consider the following elements:
(a) The degree to which the project adheres to the management
philosophy of incorporating science applications into the project
execution.
(b) The quality of the plan for ensuring interoperability and
integration with related network environment software produced by other
MICS and SciDAC efforts.
(c) The extent to which the project incorporates broad community
(industry/academia/other federal programs) interaction.
(d) Quality and clarity of proposed work schedule and deliverables.
(e) Use of recent advances in optical network technologies, such as
GMPLS to support distributed high-end applications.
The evaluation will include program policy factors, such as the
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and
the agency's programmatic needs. Note: External peer reviewers are
selected with regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence
of conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be
used, and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this
is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
Submission Information
The Project Description must be 20 pages or less, exclusive of
attachments. It must contain an abstract or project summary on a
separate page with the name of the applicant, mailing address, phone,
FAX and email listed. The application must include letters of intent
from collaborators (briefly describing the intended contribution of
each to the research), and short curriculum vitaes for the applicant
and any co-PIs.
Applicants must disclose all information on their current and
pending grants. To provide a consistent format for the submission,
review and solicitation of grant applications submitted under this
notice, the preparation and submission of grant applications must
follow the guidelines given in the Application Guide for the Office of
Science Financial Assistance Program, 10 CFR Part 605. Access to SC's
Financial Assistance Application Guide is possible via the World Wide
Web at: http://www.science.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. DOE
is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with the
preparation or submission of applications if an award is not made.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for this
program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10
CFR Part 605.
Issued in Washington, DC on November 3, 2003.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 03-28315 Filed 11-10-03; 8:45 am]
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