MS.NETGrid
NeSC Review
18 March 2004
Description and Aims
Project Aims:
Implement OGSI on Microsoft .NET
Develop sample Grid services
Author and deliver training courses
Project Goals:
Engage and train the UK e-Science community in:


OGSI
Microsoft .NET
Demonstrate the applicability of Microsoft .NET to:


Grid computing
OGSI
Status (1/2)
Planned effort/duration:
Effort: 15 months
Duration: 12 months
Actual effort/duration:
Effort: 15 months
Duration: 13 months
Status (2/2)
Planned and actual work plans:
Technical Achievements
OGSI on Microsoft .NET – MS.NETGrid-OGSI
Sample Grid services
“OGSI and Microsoft .NET” training courses
MS.NETGrid-OGSI (1/2)
Architecture based on GT3-Core
Exploits ASP.NET functionality
Provides support for:
Grid service hosting in ASP.NET Web services container
OGSI portTypes:



GridService
Factory
NotificationSource, NotificationSubscription,
NotificationSink
Service data management
Lifetime management
Deployment of container-managed and client-managed
services
Service persistence in files or Microsoft SQL Server
MS.NETGrid-OGSI (2/2)
C#
Implementation
8. C# method return
Proxy
(from WSDL)
Client
1. C# method call
7. SOAP response
2. SOAP request
HTTP
ASP.NET
Web Service Proxy (.asmx)
3. Grid
Service
ID
C#
Implementation
4. Grid
Service
Object
Reference
5.
Operation
Call
6.
Operation
Return
SQL
Server
OGSI Container
Grid
Service
Grid
Service
Grid
Service
save / restore
File
Sample Grid Services (1/2)
Counter:
GridService portType
Factory portType
State and lifetime management
Service data
Machine Load Monitoring Mock-up
Stock Tracker:
Notification-related portTypes
Sample Grid Services (2/2)
Client
Request
(GDS-Perform document)
Response
(GDS-Response document)
(WebRowSet)
Grid Data Service ADO.NET
OGSA-DAI
SQL
Server
Training Courses (1/2)
“OGSI and Microsoft .NET”:
e-Science Institute, Edinburgh:

September 9-10th 2003, November 4-5th 2003, February 24-25th
2004.
Imperial College, London:

January 14-15th 2004
Attendees:
49 actual VS 100 expected
Academic:

Brunel, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh (EPCC, Informatics, Physics,
edikt), Imperial, Kings, Liverpool John Moores, Portsmouth,
Plymouth, Southampton
e-Science:

CCLRC, GSC, LeSC, NeSC, LeSC, RAL
Public and Commercial:

BAe, British Library, Forest Research, Microsoft
Training Courses (2/2)
Overwhelmingly positive reaction
Liked:
Extensive hands-on use of MS.NETGrid-OGSI
Materials: Web-based tutorials + books
Concise and informed introductions to both OGSI and .NET
MS.NETGrid-OGSI straightforward to understand and use
Disliked:
Not enough diagrams + too much text
Not enough detail on MS.NETGrid-OGSI
No advanced issues: inter-op, security, advanced C#
OGSI now deprecated by WSRF
19 / 25 stated intent to use MS.NETGrid-OGSI
Dissemination
WWW site:
MS.NETGrid-OGSI releases
Training course lectures, tutorials and post-course reports
Conferences:
MS.NETGrid-OGSI architecture and implementation:



11/03: SC2003 (poster + demo)
10/03: GGF10
06/03: GGF9 (presentation) – OGSI container
MS.NETGrid-OGSI + course overview:




04/04:
01/04:
11/03:
09/03:
Microsoft Academic Conference Dublin (invited poster + demo)
GW2004 (presentation + poster + demo)
Microsoft Academic Conference Hungary (invited presentation)
UK e-Science All Hands (paper + presentation + poster + demo)
Other:
MS.NETGrid-OGSI architecture and implementation:

09/03: NeSC Glasgow Opening (poster)
Downloads
332 downloads:
Release 1.0 (week 15) – 134
Release 1.1 (week 33) – 163
Release 1.2 (week 48) – 27
The Microsoft Perspective
Strong design skills
Good Microsoft product knowledge
Microsoft values EPCC input to Globus and GGF
on best practices for using Web services in Grid
Computing:
Work is important to show that pure Web services are a
platform of choice for Grid computing
EPCC have handled the project very
professionally and have kept Microsoft informed
of their progress
They have taken Microsoft feedback into account
Future Plans
Ongoing support for users
Dissemination:
Microsoft Academic Days, Dublin, April 2004
WWW site continuing to make available software and
training materials
Exploitation:
Contribute to WSRF debate:


Use of Web Services programming model
Providing WS-Resources using files or Microsoft SQL Server
Possibility of related projects in:


WSRF + Microsoft .NET
OGSA-DAI + Microsoft .NET
Project Participants
EPCC:
Mike Jackson – project leader
Daragh Byrne – technical staff
Ally Hume – technical staff
Ali Anjomshoaa – technical reviewer
Neil Chue Hong – technical reviewer
Mark Parsons – commercial director
Microsoft Research Limited:
Fabien Petitcolas – University Relations (Cambridge)
Andrew Herbert – Managing Director (Cambridge)
Van Eden – University Relations (Cambridge)
Dan Fay – University Relations (Redmond)
NeSC:
Dave Berry – NeSC liaison