High-Performance Computing
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Upgrades Network
The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC)
has implemented secure private network connections to eight colleges and
universities.
The PSC operates a high-speed network hub called the Three Rivers Optical Exchange (3ROX) that
connects numerous educational institutions to online research and educational
services. The PSC has implemented a 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) Ethernet
Virtual Private Line (EVPL) from Comcast Business to provide eight
members of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of
Pennsylvania (AICUP) with 1 Gbps links to the 3ROX.
The eight colleges and universities receiving the 1 Gbps links are Carlow University, Geneva College, Juniata College, La Roche College, Point Park University, Saint Francis University, Washington & Jefferson College and Westminster College. These institutions
can use their high speed connections for general Internet access and to access
research resources such as PSC's Data Supercell and its supercomputers through
a shared network.
"The institutions we work with rely on us for three very important things:
access to our state-of-the-art offsite data storage facility; use of our
supercomputers for advanced mathematical computations, scientific modeling and
large-scale data analysis; and high-speed, high-quality connectivity to the
Internet," said Ken Goodwin, director of advanced networking at PSC, in a
prepared statement. Goodwin added that the new service will "provide these
schools with the same caliber of connectivity that you would expect of a major
research institution at a price that can fit within a smaller institution's
budget."
The PSC is a nonprofit collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The PSC provides
researchers with high-performance computing, communications and data handling
systems.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.
