USCMS S&C Intern: Antonio Linares



Internship dates: May 2023 - Apr 2024

Home Institution: University of Wisconsin Madison


Project: CMS T0 Operator

"My name is Antonio Linares, I studied Physics at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. During my bachelor’s degree I realized I enjoy Computer Science, so after graduation I took my career to follow that path. My desire towards learning more about computer systems while staying in direct touch with Physics motivated me to be an intern as a Tier 0 Operator for CMS at Fermilab. Ever since I started the internship, I have learned a lot about computing. To put it in perspective, allow me to describe the job. During data taking, the LHC produces 8 to 10 GB of data per second. This massive rate puts a lot of pressure on the resources available, since all data must be saved, reconstructed, and then sent to several desired destinations. The main issue during saving the data is the storage: at 10 GB/s, any technical or availability problem with the disk or tape resources may result in loss of data. To keep up with the high data taking rate, Tier 0 must generate all the output data in a timely manner to allow the deletion of the LHC data. This is done through reconstruction workflows with the use of thousands of computers at CERN. Again, any technical issue that arises through the reconstruction of data will keep the input data from being deleted and potentially risking storage for new data. All the output data is processed again to generate more compressed files of the data and allow their distribution to desired destinations. Tier 0 is then a job consisting heavily of operations such as monitoring the performance of the computer resources, the progress of the reconstructing workflows, the available storage, the data taking rates, among other things. Also, testing of new software for the data reconstruction is often necessary during data taking, which also concerns Tier 0. Finally, when everything is running smoothly or no data is being taken, Tier 0 focuses on developing tools to facilitate their tasks. All of this means that a Tier 0 Operator ends up understanding the roots of how the CMS system is set up. This translates into massive computing knowledge."

More information: My project proposal

Mentors:

  • Jennifer Adelman-McCarthy - (FNAL)

Presentations and Publications
Current Status


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