http://www.grid-support.ac.uk
http://www.ngs.ac.uk
Next Steps
Mike Mineter
mjm@nesc.ac.uk
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/
http://www.pparc.ac.uk/
http://www.eu-egee.org/
Acknowledgements
• Most slides are from GOSC / NGS:
– Stephen Pickles
– Neil Geddes
– Andy Richards
2
Goal of talk
• Thus far the emphasis has been on what the
NGS is, and how to use its core services.
• The goal of this talk is to ensure that intending
users of the NGS know what support services
and procedures are provided by GOSC.
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Overview
• Story so far
• The Grid Operations Support Centre
• Joining the NGS
• More training??!
• Information sources
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The story so far
• The National Grid Service is providing a
production service
• It is a developing, dynamic service!
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Core services in place: data, computation, portal
New middleware en route
More sites joining
International perspectives – EGEE, Teragrid
• Grid Operations Support Centre is poised to help
you…
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GOSC
The Grid Operations Support Centre is a
distributed “virtual centre” providing deployment
and operations support for the UK e-Science
programme.
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Steering Committee
Audit Board
USERS
Director
GOSC
Management Board
Operations Manager/
Technical Director
Development
Manager
ETF
Networking
Operations Board
Operations
Board
Security
NGS
TRAINING
GOC
GSC
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GOSC Roles
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UK Grid Services
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National Services
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NGS Services
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CPU, (meta-) data storage, key software
Services coordinated with others (eg OMII, NeSC, LCG):
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Job submission, data transfer, data access and integration, resource
brokering, monitoring, grid management services, operations centre,…
NGS core-node Services

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Authentication, authorization, certificate management, VO management,
security, network monitoring, help desk + support centre.
support@grid-support.ac.uk
Integration testing, compatibility & Validation Tests, User Management,
training
Administration:
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
Policies and acceptable use conditions
Resource providers: service level agreements,…
Coordinate deployment and Operations
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Access Grid
Certification
Condor
ETF
For Information
General
GT2
GT3
GT4
Globus-MDS
GridFTP
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Internal
Maillist
Myproxy
NGS
OGSA-DAI
Project Registration
RA
Security
SRB
Support Notices
Training
Unicore
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Joining the NGS
• As
– Users
– Projects (VO’s)
– Resource providers
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How Do I Get A Certificate?
Enabling Grids for E-sciencE
• You need a valid UK certificate before applying for an
NGS account:
– Contact https://ca.grid-support.ac.uk, the UK Certificate
Authority.
– You will probably need to provide non-electronic proof of identity
to your local representative of the CA.
 For example: a photocopy of your passport.
 See http://www.grid-support.ac.uk/archive/ca/ralist.htm
– Ensure that you use the same browser (on the same computer)
that you sent the request from to download your certificate.
– Always keep this certificate secure.
INFSO-RI-508833
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How Do I Get An NGS Account?
Enabling Grids for E-sciencE
• Once you have your certificate:
– If your browser has access to your UK Certificate go to
https://www.ngs.ac.uk/apply.php. (Easiest option.)
– Otherwise you will need the Distinguished Name (DN) from your
UK Certificate, then go to http://www.ngs.ac.uk/apply.html.
– You will need to provide a description of your reason for needing
access, plus your expected CPU/Disk usage.
– Make sure you read and agree to the Terms and Conditions of
Usage – see http://www.ngs.ac.uk/NGS-tacu.shtml.
INFSO-RI-508833
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End-users: what to do
• You need a current UK e-Science Certificate
• Complete the application form on the NGS web site, and
read the conditions of use:
– http://www.ngs.ac.uk/apply.html
• Wait 1-2 weeks for peer review
• You gain access to all core nodes automatically (incl
SRB)
• Contact GOSC to gain access to OGSA-DAI and Oracle
• Use the NGS and GSC web sites and help-desk
• Happy computing!
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User Registration (Process)
User Applies
Accepted
(Via Website)
(User Notified)
Application QC
User added
to NGS VO
(includes SRB account)
Application Submitted
to Peer Review Panel
User added
NGS-USER and
NGS-ANNOUNCE
Mailing lists
Approved ?
Rejected
(User Notified)
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Projects and VOs
• Just need access to compute and data resources for users in your
project?
– Currently, mainly applications from individuals
– project-based applications being dealt with case-by-case, as procedures
are established
– if in doubt, talk to us!
• Want to host your data on NGS?
– consider GridFTP, SRB, Oracle, or OGSA-DAI
– NGS maintains infrastructure
– you populate and manage data
• Want to use NGS resources to provision services, portals for a
community of users?
– next slide
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Providing services for a
VO
• NGS resources can be used to provide a portal (or
portlets) or other service for your community
• Deployment and security scenarios are negotiable
• NGS policies (core nodes):
– your portal can present its own, or a delegated user’s credential
to NGS, but tasks should be traceable to initiating end-user
– you should not run your own services in user space without prior
agreement of NGS and hosting site
• we need to know that services are secure, will not jeopardise
operation of other NGS services, or consume too much precious
resource on head nodes
• Talk to GOSC!
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Resource providers
Resource providers join the NGS by
• Defining level of service commitments
• Adopting NGS acceptable use and security policies
• Run compatible middleware
– as defined by NGS Minimum Software Stack
– and verified by compliance test suite
• Support monitoring and accounting
Two levels of membership
1. Affiliates run compatible stack, integrated support
2. Partners also contribute “significant resources”
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Affiliation
Affiliates commit to:
• running NGS-compatible middleware
– as defined in NGS Minimum Software Stack
– this means users of affiliate’s resources can access these using same
client tools they use to access NGS
• a well-defined level of service and problem referral mechanisms
– SLD approved by NGS Management Board and published on NGS
web-site
• providing technical, administrative, and security (CERT) contacts
• providing an account and mapping for daily compliance tests
(GITS++)
• accepting UK e-Science certificates
• maintaining baseline of logs to assist problem resolution
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Partnership
Partners commit to same as affiliates, plus:
• making “significant” resources available to NGS users
– creation of accounts/mappings
– in future, VO support, pool accounts, etc
• recognise additional CAs with which UK e-Science programme has
reciprocal agreements
• publish/provide additional information to support resource discovery,
brokering
• ability to compile code for computational resources
Bristol and Cardiff going through certification process now.
• supported by “buddies” and NGS-Rollout list
• useful feedback on viability of NGS Minimum Software Stack
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More training?
• Watch http://www.nesc.ac.uk/training
• Also http://www.nesc.ac.uk/esi/esi.html
• http://egee.nesc.ac.uk/ for EGEE events and
materials – repository.
• TELL US WHAT YOU WANT !!!!
– In future versions of this course
– In application developer courses
– …..
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NeSC UK Training
• Establishing set of core courses:
– Induction, sysadmin, application devel.,…
• For EGEE (current and gLite), NGS
• Cooperating with OMII
– Fundamentals: WS, WS-RF
• In NeSC national role:
– Building collaborations to support/co-deliver training with UK escience centres and VO’s
– Establishing repository (for EGEE) and website
http://www.nesc.ac.uk/training
• In NeSC’s regional role, providing:
– events in Scotland
– Training and support for potential & current users of grids
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Information Sources
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EU WEB SITES
EGEE www.eu-egee.org
Training activity homepage: http://egee.nesc.ac.uk/
Roadmap: training events since the start of EGEE
http://www.egee.nesc.ac.uk/schedreg/index.html
LCG lcg.web.cern.ch/LCG/
NeSC www.nesc.ac.uk
The Grid Cafe www.gridcafe.org
•More EU sites:
•http://www.cordis.lu/ist/grids/fp6_grid_projects.htm
•http://www.gridstart.org/concertation_mtg.shtml
•“Concertation event” and EGEE conference
http://public.eu-egee.org/conferences/2nd/programme/outline.html
•e-Infrastructures Reflection Group http://www.e-irg.org
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UK resources
• National Grid Service http://www.ngs.ac.uk
• Grid Operations Support Centre
http://www.grid-support.ac.uk
• National e-Science Centre http://www.nesc.ac.uk
• UK Training Roadmap http://www.nesc.ac.uk/training
• ALSO: regional centres, centres of excellence and
NIEeS, NCeSS
• UK AHM
– 2004: http://www.allhands.org.uk/programme/programme.html
– 2005: http://www.allhands.org.uk/
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And finally….
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The NGS
• Is providing a production service
• Currently has core resources, procedures and
operations in place
• Is developing and expanding
– Both organisationally and in middleware
• Is a “SERVICE”
– Organised to respond to your requirements!!!
– What do YOU want of the NGS?
• Tell GOSC !
• GOSC: exists to support you!!!
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• Last chance for questions… and feedback.
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Background slides
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NGS- Production service
• Operating a production grid means valuing robustness and reliability
over fashion.
• NGS cares about:
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alignment/compatibility with leading international Grid efforts
special requirements of UK e-Science community
easy migration/upgrade paths
proven robustness/reliability
based on standards or standards-track specifications
• NGS cannot support everything
• Everyone wants service-oriented grids
– but still settling out: WS-I, WS-I+, OGSI, WSRF, GT3, GT4, gLite
• Caution over OGSI/WSRF has led to wide convergence on GT2 for
production grids and hence some inter-Grid compatibility
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Certificate Authority
http://ca.grid-support.ac.uk
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