Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is the high-performance network user facility for the US Department of Energy​ (DOE) ​Office​ of​ Science​ (SC)​ and​ delivers​ highly​ reliable​ data​transport ​capabilities​ optimized​ for ​the​ requirements of data-intensive science. In essence, ESnet is the circulatory system that enables the DOE science mission by connecting all of its laboratories and facilities in the United States and abroad. ESnet is funded and stewarded​ by​ the​ Advanced​ Scientific ​Computing​ Research​ (ASCR)​ program​ and​ managed​ and​operated​ by​ the​ Scientific ​Networking​ Division​ at ​Lawrence​ Berkeley ​National​ Laboratory​ (LBNL). ​ESnet ​is ​widely​ regarded​ as​ a global leader in the research and education networking community. Throughout ​2020,​ESnet​ and​ the ​Office ​of ​High ​Energy​ Physics​ (HEP)​ of ​the ​DOE​ SC​ organized​ an​ ESnet​ requirements ​review​ of ​HEP-supported​ activities.​ Preparation ​for ​this​ event​included​ identification ​of​ key​ stakeholders: program and facility management, research groups, technology providers, and a number of external observers. These individuals were asked to prepare formal case study documents about their relationship to the HEP program to build a complete understanding of the current, near-term, and long-term status, expectations, and processes that will support the science going forward. A series of pre-planning meetings better prepared case study authors for this task, along with guidance on how the review would proceed in a virtual fashion. ESnet and ASCR use requirements reviews to discuss and analyze current and planned science use cases and anticipated data output of a particular program, user facility, or project to inform ESnet’s strategic planning, including network operations, capacity upgrades, and other service investments. A requirements review comprehensively surveys major science stakeholders’ plans and processes in order to investigate data management requirements over the next 5–10 years.