Particle accelerator lab targets computer access

Experimenters at the world's largest particle accelerator depend on computers in their exploration of the basic structure of matter. After acquiring the necessary data-crunching power, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory found it still had a problem: providing access to users in various facilities scattered across a 6800-acre area. Fermilab solved the problem with an intelligent port-selection system. The author discusses this system, and how it meets the data processing and control needs of the laboratory.