Using the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid

With more than 8,000 LHC physicists across the four main experiments - ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb - actively accessing and analysing the data in near real-time, the computing system designed to handle this has to be very flexible.

WLCG provides seamless access to computing resources which include data storage capacity, processing power, sensors, visualisation tools and more.

Users make job requests from one of the many entry points into the system. A job request can be almost anything - storage, processing capacity, availability of analysis software etc. The computing grid establishes the identity of the user, checks their credentials, and searches for sites available which can provide the resources requested.

Users should not have to worry about where the computing resources are coming from - the WLCG is a utility from which researchers can tap into computing power and access storage on demand.