OxGrid, A Campus Grid for the University of Oxford

Dr. David Wallom

Outline

• Why make a campus grid?

• How we are making it?– Computational capability– Data capability

Why a grid?

• Many new problems in research have a need for access to massive computational and data capacity, capability limiting,

• If the need is too large for a single existing resource, construct a system able to concurrently use a number of appropriate resources, Designed so that;– use single sign-on to access multiple resources and switch between

each seamlessly

– layout can be dynamically altered without user interference

– once data placed on, or a job started on, a remote resource, its status is monitored to make sure it stays running/available!

Why make a campus grid?

• Many computers throughout the University under-utilised:– PCs

• Idle time (about 16hr/day for an average desktop)• Unused disk space (~60% of a modern hard-drive)• already purchased – depreciating daily• Readily available resource, e.g. OULS has up to 1200

desktop computers.

– Large Servers• expensive to purchase, house and run (extra staff).• Rarely 100% utilised

OxGrid, a University Campus Grid

• Single entry point for Oxford users to shared and dedicated resources

• Seamless access to National Grid Service and OSC for registered users

• Single sign-on using general UK e-Science network of integrated with current methods

NationalGrid Service

Oxford Supercomputing

Centre

OxGrid Central

Management

Computational task Distribution

Storage Management

College Resources

Departmental Resources

OxfordUsers

Central System Components

• Computational Task Distribution:– Resource Broker, user access and distribution of submitted tasks– Information Service, all system capability and status information on

which the resource broker makes decisions– Systems monitoring, graphical presentation of monitoring system for

helpdesk interface– User Management, control a virtual community and allow access to

various resources– Accounting Service, allow full system and single resource use can be

recorded and charged for• Storage Management

– Create a dynamic multi-homed virtual file system• Single central controller & large file-store for immediate access• Connected to remote file-systems for access to larger storage capability

– Provide metadata mark-up for improved data mining

Virtual Organisation/User Management & Accounting

• Grid Security Interface uses a mapping between Distinguished Name (DN) as defined in a Digital Certificate and local usernames on each resource.– Important for each resource a user is expecting to use, his DN is

mapped locally.• OxVOM

– Custom in-house designed Web based user interface– Persistent information stored in relational database– User DN list retrieved by remote resources using standard tools

• Accounting is the basis of a possible charging model

Computational Resources

• Core, accessible to all Campus Grid users– Individual Departmental Clusters (dedicated

compute resources)– Condor clusters of PCs (cycle scavenging)

• External, accessible to users that have registered with them– National Grid Service– OSC

Data Management

• Engagement of data as well as computationally intensive research groups

• Provide a remote store for those groups that cannot resource their own

• Distribute the client software as widely as possible, including departments that are not currently engaged in e-Research

Data Management

• Software for creation of system– Storage Resource Broker to create large

virtual datastore• Through central metadata catalogue users

interface with single virtual file system though physical volumes may be on several network resources

• In built metadata capability

SRB Architecture

MCAT

Disk Server1Disk Server2

Disk Server3

Mcat Server

USER

Disk Server4

SRB as a Data Grid

SRB

MCAT

DB

SRB

SRB

SRB

SRB SRB

•Data Grid has arbitrary number of servers•Complexity is hidden from users

SRB Client Implementations

• inQ – Window GUI browser• Jargon – Java SRB client classes

– Pure Java implementation

• mySRB – Web based GUI– run using web browser

• Matrix – Web service for SRB work flow

• All of these allow direct interaction with the data-grid

Users

• Installed several example applications– Graphics rendering

Use of Computing Power in the Humanities

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Users

• Installed several example applications– Graphics rendering– Physics– Biochemistry

• Computational Users– Chemistry & Materials Science

• Data Users– IBVRE

• Contacting currently registered users of both OSC as well as NGS.– Beneficial to these systems to remove users that don’t need to be there

to provide more capability to those that must be there.

• Data provision is an integral component of the grid– Starting to contact large data users

Conclusions

• Users are already able to log onto the Resource Broker and schedule work onto the NGS, OSC and OUCS Condor Systems

• We are working as quickly as possible to engage more users

• We need these users to then go out and evangelise to bring in both more users and resource.

Contact

• Email: david.wallom@ierc.ox.ac.uk

• Telephone: 01865 283378