1Jan 31, 2000

Wilhelmson Report

Benchmarking WRF on the Origin (predecessor MM5 in use by over 500 scientists at over 100 institutions).

Work with Woodward/Porter/Anderson on prototype MPI code and ITR proposal entitled “Portable Terascale Programming.”

Work with Porter on distributed visualization.

Work with Bock at NCSA on nested grid VTK visualization.

Modest help with terascale proposal.

2Jan 31, 2000

NCAR’s Strategic Plan for Scientific Simulation

(in preparation 4/5/00)

Harriet Barker, Frank Bryan, Peter Fox, Jim Hack, Steve Hammond (chair), Joe Klemp, Bob Wilhelmson, & Dave

Williamson

(a subset selected by BW follows)

3Jan 31, 2000

The End-to-End Simulation Environment

Computers, storage, & networking

Research Project Development & Management

– Translation of science/research objectives to model requirements.

Data management & I/O

Code design and development practices

Model testing, validation, and execution

Post processing and visualization

Community support, documentation, bug tracking, outreach, and training

Collaboration tools & conducting research in distributed environment, remote access to NCAR’s staff, resources, and services

4Jan 31, 2000

NCAR’s Operating Environment Models are increasingly inter-disciplinary

Model development and execution is increasingly multi-institutional

U.S. High performance computer industry is very volatile

– clear trend toward clustered SMPs based on microprocessors with multiple levels of memory hierarchy.

– need to efficiently utilize 100s to 1000s of processors.– spotty adherence to standards and instability in commodity

based systems.

Cannot go it alone – in every instance we need to make strategic alliances with Universities, other centers, gov’t labs, and industry to tackle the most pressing problems.

5Jan 31, 2000

Theme 1: Compute Resources NCAR will dedicate itself to regaining international eminence

in providing compute capability for grand challenge problems.

– The rate of scientific progress is limited by inadequate sustained compute capability.

– Our mandate as a national center is to provide unique resources, to solve problems too large to solve at other places - the marketplace is solving problems for the rest of the users.

– Avoid partitioning resources physically or by queuing limitations.

To meet scientific needs, NCAR will immediately increase its compute capability by an order of magnitude to tackle today’s most pressing research questions.

– Capability is not just hardware!– Ensure a balanced end-to-end simulation environment:

compute, networking, storage systems, efficient models, data mgmt, collaborations…

6Jan 31, 2000

Theme 2: Algorithms & Code Structure

NCAR will immediately assess the functional requirements of major modeling systems to assure that grand challenge goals for the next 5-10 years are achieved.

– Ensure that the algorithms and structure of large simulation codes are both well suited to the application and efficiently use clustered systems (100s to 1000s of processors).

• In some instances, the most suitable algorithms for the application are awkward for current computer systems.

• Performance portability of current codes is inadequate.– Migrate major modeling systems to take maximal advantage of

highly parallel computers. Take a leadership role in determining “measures of

suitability”.

– Test cases, accuracy criteria, etc. to guarantee model integrity. NCAR will assess the algorithmic research within and at large

to identify gaps to be filled and augment the effort and/or establish strategic alliances.

7Jan 31, 2000

Theme 3: DATA(data mgmt, meta data, post processing, & visualization)

The status quo in “data” is a significant impediment to advancing the end-to-end simulation environment. What’s needed:

– Data bases for efficient mgmt of observational and model data,– Efficient tools to search data that is stored, condense large data

sets to extract and diagnose necessary information, and convey or represent it in a desired form,• Tools need to use multiple processors to avoid being a bottleneck• Seamless access to data independent of how and where ever it is stored

– Improved meta data: “use”, “query” and “locate” meta data, and– Visualization at the desktop or laptop.

NCAR and UOP will take a leadership role:

1. in defining and establishing meta data standards, and2. in the creation and use of data bases for managing scientific

data.

8Jan 31, 2000

Theme 4: Project Mgmt/Composition

The project mgmt and team composition of large modeling efforts should be reconstituted to include multidisciplinary teams.

– Discipline, software and computational specialists need to be integrated from the beginning as stake holders to meet scientific and computational objectives.

– Team members will have well defined responsibilities, accountability and share in the success of the project.

– Make wider use of joint appointments to facilitate team efforts and reflect institutional commitment.

Adopt advanced engineering practices for new models and robust changes to existing models – design process, reviews….

NCAR will provide adequate resources to support the community use of major modeling systems: documentation, distribution,training, …

– These models are essential community facilities and they must be supported accordingly.

9Jan 31, 2000

Theme 6: Distributed Environment

NCAR will research, develop, and implement the infrastructure to support and facilitate working in a geographically distributed environment.

– Adopt the Collaboratory concept: supporting scientific collaboration, exchanging information, sharing code, planning experiments, analyzing data, providing consulting & training, …

– Provide virtual proximity among NCAR staff, the university and other colleagues and the resources they need.

10Jan 31, 2000

Proposed TopicMetadata & Dataflow

Better define the linkages between EH, AT, and ET efforts.

What is our “global” communication strategy between “objects”,”modules”, application software, portal interfaces,……?

Determine responsibilities and timeline for this effort.

11Jan 31, 2000

Proposed Topic - Visualization

What are relevant EH and AT visualization efforts?

How should these efforts be linked/wrapped to fit our prototype EH environment(s)?

Determine responsibility and timeline for the links and wrappers?

12Jan 31, 2000

Proposed Topic - Portals

Define working portal prototype

Collaborate with Chem Eng portal development effort

Demonstrate current Portal effort at NCSA

Sketch out a timeline for development

13Jan 31, 2000

Proposed Topic - Outreach

What do we currently have that can be made available to our defined communities?

Define these communities?

How should our new web site be organized?

Determine timeline and responsibilities for new web site.