E-VLBI Software Suite &
DRAGON Interoperability
Chet Ruszczyk, Jason Soohoo
Introduction
• Software Applications / Tools for e-VLBI
– Real-time
– non-real time
• DRAGON Interoperability
– Application Interface
– Network communities assumptions
– Next Steps
Software Components
• Software suite for e-VLBI (Alpha Version)
– Components:
• VIM – VLBI User Interface and Management (CGI / Perl)
– Experiment description (XML)
– EGAE management / monitoring
– E-VLBI experiment based
» Network Monitoring / Performance
• EGAE (python)
– Control of Mark5A’s
» Interprets XML description of experiment
» Application control/setup/execution
» Network tuning
» Network testing
• Vtp – VLBI Transport Protocol Application (C++)
– VSI-E application
DRAGON Interoperability
• Defining a general application XML schema
– Any application can request service
• Network centric
• Missing Components
– Super scheduler interface
• Long term reservation policy unavailable (1 year)
• Two main areas
– Requesting Service
– Initiating Setup / Teardown
E-VLBI XML Schema Updates
<station>
<!-- 2-letter code, e.g. Wf for Westford -->
<id></id>
<!-- Status for the transfer and set up of an indidual station -->
<!-- Unfiled, In Progress, Configuring, Success, Failure, Active -->
<status></status>
<!-- Date for when the transfer should begin -->
<xfer_date></xfer_date>
<!-- Time for when the transfer should begin -->
<xfer_time></xfer_time>
<!-- Deadline for when the transfer should be at the destination -->
<xfer_deadline></xfer_deadline>
<source>
<!-- IP address of where the information will be transferred from -->
<ip></ip>
<!-- mode is how the session will be handled at the source, e.g disk2Net, TVG2Net, Out2Net -->
<mode></mode>
<user_id></user_id>
<!-- application port -->
<port></port>
<!-- VLSR specific information, may be duplicate of other areas -->
<vlsr>
<!-- Destination IP address of VLSR control application -->
<!-- alias to be assigned to the NIC interface communicating with VLSR switch -->
<alias_ip></alias_ip>
<!-- VLSR Node identfier -->
<route_id></route_id>
<!-- Switch port number alias_ip is attached to -->
<port_no></port_no>
<!-- Interface alias is assigned to -->
<iface></iface>
<!-- Reservation ID to be set after request is made -->
<reservation_id></reservation_id>
</vlsr>
</source>
DRAGON Interoperability (cont)
• Requesting Service
– AST services request to AST Master
• Specify node / link resources
– Node is end-point resources
– Network link resources
• Will determine if resource can be reserved
– Return status success / failure
• Initiating Configuration
• Send message to initiate setup of service
• Network test (EGAE)
• Transfer data (EGAE)
• Termination of services
• Application complete
• Reservation expired
DRAGON Interoperability (cont)
• Application integration open issues
– Configuring of network interfaces
• Aliases on the interface
• Apriori knowledge required
– Difficult to policy to enforce
» Manual configuration may pose problems
– Service Termination
• Duration based
• Application based
– Translation between e-VLBI schema and AST schema
– Configuration options
• DRAGON Applications
• EGAE
EGAE AST Module
Next Steps
• Integration testing
– Request / Setup / Tear down circuit
– Translation between XML schemas
– Application demonstration
• Real-time experiment
– Dynamic resource allocation
– E-vlbi real-time demo
» Bandwidth requirements (512Mbps– 1Gbps)
– Termination