TGQR 2010Q2 Report.pdf - Teragridforum.org

efforts: Advanced Support for TeraGrid Applications (ASTA), Advanced Support for Projects
(ASP), and Advanced Support for EOT (ASEOT).
Operations of the AUS area is coordinated by the AUS Area Director jointly with the AUS Point
of Contacts (POC) who are in most cases the managers or group leaders of the scientific
computing applications groups at each of the RP sites. All the management and coordination
issues such as analyzing TRAC ASTA review reports, contacting PIs for further understanding of
ASTA plans, matching of appropriate AUS staff to ASTAs, discussing/initiating new ASPs,
matching of AUS staff to ASPs, discussing ASEOT topics, preparing program plan and annual
reports, etc., are handled by this group. They hold biweekly teleconferences for the management
and coordination issues and continue discussions via email as needed.
On alternate bi-weeks a technical tele/web-conference is hosted using ReadyTalk for all the AUS
technical staff as well as the AUS POCs. At this technical tele/web-conference 1-2 technical
presentations are made by AUS technical staff discussing progress of ASTA projects, progress of
ASPs, and any other technical issue that is of interest to all the AUS technical staff. ReadyTalk
allows all the AUS staff, attending these bi-weekly tele/web-conferences to view the slides and
listen and participate in the technical presentations. This fosters an environment for collaboration
among the AUS staff located at the various RP sites and also allows sharing of technical insight
that may have impact on multiple ASTAs or ASPs. The presentation slides and audio recordings
are archived and made publicly available for interested staff as well as users at:
http://teragridforum.org/mediawiki/index.phptitle=Technical_presentations .
5.5.1 Advanced Support for TeraGrid Applications (ASTA)
Advanced Support for TeraGrid Applications (ASTA) efforts allow AUS staff to work with a user
for a period of a few months to a year. Activities include porting applications, implementing
algorithmic enhancements, implementing parallel programming methods, incorporating math
libraries, improving the scalability of codes to higher core counts, optimizing codes to utilize
specific resources, enhancing scientific workflows, providing help for science gateways and
performing visualization and data analysis projects. To receive ASTA support, TeraGrid users
submit a request as a part of their annual, Supplemental, or Startup resource allocation proposal.
The recommendation score provided by the reviewers is taken into account and upon discussion
with the user regarding a well-defined ASTA workplan, AUS staff provide ASTA support to the
user. This support often impacts a larger number of users who are part of the PI’s team. Since late
2008, in addition to the quarterly TRAC allocations, ASTA support is also available to those
requesting Supplements or Startup allocations. The TeraGrid-wide AUS effort improves the
ability to optimally match AUS staff to an ASTA project by taking into account the reviewers’
recommendation score, the AUS staff(s) expertise in a domain science/HPC/CI, the ASTA project
workplan, and the RP site where the user has a resource allocation. In addition to providing longterm
benefits to the user or the user team, projects are also beneficial to the TeraGrid as a whole.
Results of ASTA projects provide insights and exemplars for the general TeraGrid user
community and these are included in documentation, training and outreach activities. In the table
5.3 we list 47 ASTA projects that were active and 6 ASTA projects that were completed during
the quarter. This list also includes Startup and Supplemental ASTA projects. Quarterly updates of
ASTA work for most of these ASTA project are provided after the table.
ASTA Project
The Effect of
Gravitational
Instabilities on
Table 5.3. List of continuing and completed ASTA projects for the quarter.
Site(s)
Involved
Status
Indiana Continuing through
09/10
Notes
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