Grid Computing Cluster – the Development and ... - Lim Lian Tze

Grid@USMaim here is to allow researchers withcomputation-intensive requirementsto simply plug their application intogrid technology and run it seamlesslywithout major user intervention. Ananalogy would be the seamless mannerwith which we plug electrical devicesinto power sockets and they willsimply function – without us knowingwhat actually goes on behind thepower socket.The second problem is relatedto the readiness of grid technology.There are stillmany open researchquestionsto address itsfour main domainareas: policyand governanceof gridresources; gridmiddleware andtool enablers;grid applications;infrastructureand security.It is withUSM’s R&D needsand sustainabilityin mindthat we set upGrid@USM, agrid computingresearch clusterto address the problems mentionedabove. Our two main driving principlesand objectives are:• Training of human capital in gridtechnology, and• Increasing the accessibility and utilisationof USM grid infrastructures.Grid@USM’s pilot project, led byAP Bahari Belaton and entitled GridComputing Cluster – the Developmentand Integration of Grid Services and Applications,was initiated under an RUresearch grant. This RU project involvesintegrated research couplingexpertise from different fields. Thetechnologists (mainly computer scientists)will continue to work andimprove on the previously mentionedgrid computing domain areas,while grid infrastructure accessibilityand utilisation is increasedby grid-enabling existing research applicationsby experts from other domains.This is directly related to ourthird objective:• To showcase these grid-enabled applicationsduring PRAGMA 15.Project Objectives❦ To increase accessability andutilization of USM Campus Gridinfrastructure❦ To train research-based humancapital in grid computing❦ To showcase potential gridapplications in PRAGMA 15The human capital training will focuson research-based skills, knowledgeand hands-on experience in gridcomputing for both technologists anddomain experts.THE IMPLEMENTATION PLANThe project can be viewed as havingtwo main domains:Grid middleware and tool enablers,concerning the administration andmanagement of grid resourcesand users. We allocated 1 / 3 of theoverall project resources to thisfundamental stage.Grid applications, where readilyavailable applications are gridenabledto run on existing gridinfrastructure available at USM.This accounts for 2 / 3 of the project.The former task is entrusted tothe Grid Computing Lab (GCL) ofPPSK. As for the latter aspect,a call for research proposals issuedby the ICT Research Platformelicited applications from researchersof various disciplines, ranging frommedicine, computer sciences to engineering.Seven seed applications andtheir principle investigatorswereidentified. Togetherwith thetask of settingup USM CampusGrid i.e. the gridinfrastructure forresearchers, wehave a total of8 sub-projects,the leaders ofwhich are alsomembers ofthe Grid@USMteam.To achievethe project aims,domain expertsin the respectivefields wereemployed asGraduate ResearchAssistants (GRAs) and/orResearch Assistants (RAs) for eachgrid application sub-project. TheseGRAs and RAs were given training toget acquainted with the grid enginesand infrastructure at USM. They thenadapted the domain-specific applicationsto run on the grid environmentunder guidance of the respective subprojectleaders. Finally, these gridapplications were deployed on USMCampus Grid, where they are accessiblevia various grid tool enablers. Detailsabout the research methodology ofeach sub-project are reported in laterchapters, as are the various activitiescarried out under this project.U@SGridMGrid@USM6 Grid@USM: DEVELOPING & INTEGRATING GRID APPLICATIONS & SERVICES