Speaker
Description
Long-running high energy physics experiments often depend on legacy architectures for orchestrating their data. While these custom tools can be effective, the expertise to maintain them is often concentrated in limited personnel, which raises concerns of software sustainability and long-term maintenance. Transitioning to a community-supported standard like Rucio, created at CERN, offers a clear path toward long-term sustainability. However, replacing the data backbone of a live experiment carries numerous operational risks. This trade-off is currently being evaluated by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, which utilizes the legacy SPADE system for automated data transfers between its underground detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) and its US and UK computing centers.
This contribution outlines LZ’s technical implementation of a Rucio and File Transfer Service (FTS) testbed, as well as the challenges and decision-making framework for this potential migration. We report on the technical evaluation of Rucio’s ability to handle LZ’s file loads for both typical data-taking and high-rate calibration campaigns. Finally, we present a zero-downtime migration strategy, starting with the replacement of legacy tools and concluding with the potential consolidation of separate LZ data catalogs into the Rucio ecosystem.