Information Sharing Platform Technologies
Middleware, Application
FLET'S network / Grid computing / Semantic information NW (SIONet) / Semantic information search
Computer-Resource Intermediary System (Grid Computing System)
NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories
The National Institute of Genetics and NTT West have conducted a joint trial on “grid” technology using the world’s largest
international DNA data bank and personal computers belonging to NTT FLET’S users. The purpose of this trial was to test the
effectiveness and security of connecting general home computers to large-scale databases and using their excess processing capacity
to perform information analysis and research. In relation to this trial, NTT Laboratories developed technology for operating a computerresource intermediary system (grid computing system) that uses a semantic information network (SIONet*1) as a platform, registers
user resource conditions in the network as semantic information, and provides resources discovered by semantic-information searches.
The middleware distributes jobs and manages job execution, and manages user resources.
(1) This middleware enables the National Institute of Genetics to expand their public DNA databases. It allows researchers in the life
sciences to perform similarity searches on unknown genetic sequences and homologous searches using various DNA-data
applications via the National Institute of Genetics portal on the Web.
(2) In addition to tailor-made medicine (genome drug discovery from an individual’s DNA), this common grid platform can be applied to
such disparate fields as weather forecasting and earthquake prediction (regional information collection and analysis) and CAD*2 (3-D
imaging and rendering).
Our plan is to enhance the performance and reliability of this computer-resource intermediary platform so that it can be used as a
broadband FLET’S network service. We also plan to expand it into a communication-intermediary service that connects a user with
people (individuals, forums, etc.) having similar preference and interests.
*1 SIONet: Semantic Information Oriented Network
*2 CAD: Computer Aided Design
B-FLET’S and FLET’S ADSL are registered trademarks of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation.
Overview of computer-resource intermediary system
New DNA
New server
Internet
Computation results
(Known DNA)
Known
DNA
Computation results
Platform operator
Service user
(NTT)
(life-sciences researcher)
Compensation
Resources
(1) Distribute known
DNA beforehand
Business model
NTT
FLET’S Network
SIONet
Resource providers
Resource providers
(1,000-3,000 users)
(2) Search holders of specific DNA
distributed beforehand and request
job execution
(5) Accept as reference data
(4) Submit results
2
DNMc*
Blast-APL*3
FLET’S ADSL user
DNMc
DNMc
Blast-APL
Blast-APL
B-FLET’S user
(3) Analyze
(Similarity search)
* 1 DNMr : Distributed Network Middleware (distributes DNA sequences and mediates job execution)
* 2 DNMc : DNM client (accepts and makes public DNA sequences and runs Blast-APL)
* 3 Blast-APL : Software for conducting DNA similarity searches (National Institute of Genetics)
copyright (C) 2004 NTT
National Institute
of Genetics
DNMr*1
Fee
H-PF-3