BaBar data distribution using the storage resource broker

The BaBar experiment's computing resources are geographically spread out. A direct consequence of this is that a large amount of data is transferred between sites. Providing easy management and access to these data is a challenging task. To accomplish this task we are employing the storage resource broker (SRB), developed at the San Diego Super Computing Center, to manage the BaBar data files and to replicate them between Tier-A centers. The system has been tested between the computing centers l'Institut National de Physique Nucle/spl acute/aire et de Physique des Particules (CC-IN2P3), Lyon, France, and at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA, and this paper discusses our experience with a view to production use. We describe how the system could be used to manage the data import/export between the computing sites and how it fits into building a BaBar data grid. We also explain how a user benefits from this system to access and obtain data in an easy and transparent fashion.