Big Hadron Collider with your own eyes. Part 3

    I will continue my story about visiting the open day at CERN.

    The first part is here

    The second part is here

    Part 3. Computing center.



    In this part I will talk about the place where they store and process what is the product of CERN's work - the results of experiments. It will be about a computer center, although it would be more correct, probably, to call it a data center. But first, I’ll touch on computing and data storage in CERN a bit. Each year, the Large Hadron Collider alone produces such a quantity of data that if you write it to a CD, you get a stack of 20 kilometers high. This is due to the fact that during collider operation the beams collide 30 million times per second and approximately 20 events occur during each collision, each of which produces a large amount of information in the detector. Of course, this information is processed first in the detector itself, then it goes to the local computer center and only then it is transferred to the main data storage and processing center. However, you have to process about a petabyte of data every day. To this we must add that this data must not only be stored but also distributed between research centers around the world, and in addition, approximately 4,000 WiFi network users must be supported in CERN itself. It should be added that there is an auxiliary data storage and processing center in Hungary, with which there is a 100 gigabit link. At the same time, 35,000 kilometers of optical cable were laid inside CERN. support approximately 4,000 WiFi network users in CERN itself. It should be added that there is an auxiliary data storage and processing center in Hungary, with which there is a 100 gigabit link. At the same time, 35,000 kilometers of optical cable were laid inside CERN. support approximately 4,000 WiFi network users in CERN itself. It should be added that there is an auxiliary data storage and processing center in Hungary, with which there is a 100 gigabit link. At the same time, 35,000 kilometers of optical cable were laid inside CERN.
    However, the computer center was not always so powerful. The photo shows how the equipment used has changed over time.

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    Now there has been a transition from mainframes to the grid of conventional PCs. Currently, the center has 90,000 processor cores in 10,000 servers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On average, 250,000 data processing jobs work on this grid at the same time. This computing center is at the peak of modern technology and often moves computing and IT forward to solve the tasks required to store and process such large amounts of data. It’s enough to mention that the World Wide Web was invented in a building near the computer center by Tim Berners-Lee (tell those idiotsalternatively gifted, who, sitting on the Internet, say that basic science is not useful).

    But back to the problem of data storage. The photograph shows that in the antediluvian times, data was previously stored on magnetic disks (Yes, yes, I remember these disks of 29 megabytes on an EU computer).

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    To see how things are today, I go to the building where the computer center is located.

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    There, surprisingly, there are not very many people and I quickly go inside. We are shown a short film, and then lead to a locked door. Our guide opens the door and we find ourselves in a fairly large room, where there are cabinets with magnetic tapes, on which information is recorded.

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    Most of the hall is occupied by these same cabinets.

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    They store about 100 petabytes of information (which is equivalent to 700 years of Full HD video) in 480 million files. Interestingly, approximately 10,000 physicists around the world have access to this information in 160 data centers. This information contains all the experimental data since the 70s of the last century. If you look closely, you can see how these magnetic tapes are located inside the cabinets.

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    Some racks have processor modules.

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    On the table is a small exhibition of what is used to store data.

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    This computer center consumes 3.5 megawatts of electrical energy and has its own diesel generator in case of a power outage. I must also say about the cooling system. It is located outside the building and drives cold air under the raised floor. Water cooling is used only on a small number of servers.

    If you look inside the cabinet, you can see how the automatic selection and loading of magnetic tapes takes place.

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    Going further you can see racks with other equipment.

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    In fact, this hall is not the only hall where computers are located, but the fact that visitors were allowed to enter here at least already inspires respect for the organizers. I took a picture of what was shown on the table.

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    After that, another group of visitors appeared and we were asked to leave. I take the last photo and leave the computer center.

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    In the next part I will talk about workshops where unique equipment that is used in physical experiments is created and assembled.

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