On extending ESnet's OSCARS with a multi-domain anycast service

Abstract

Current scientific data applications require advanced network provisioning systems to support the transport of large volumes of data. Due to the availability of diverse computing and Grid clusters, these applications can benefit from anycasting capabilities. In contrast to unicasting, anycast routing allows the selection of a node from a group of candidate destinations. This new means of communication allows for greater routing flexibility and better network resource consumption. However, current provisioning systems do not provide fully compliant anycast implementations. In this paper, we extend ESnet’s OSCARS virtual circuit provisioning system with anycast routing capabilities to support destination-agnostic applications on single- and multi-domain network scenarios. The proposed implementation significantly improves provisioning success over the native unicast implementation in compliance with the existing OSCARS framework.