Confessions of an Access Grid Nodie Marty Hoag North Dakota State University Information Technology

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Confessions of an Access Grid NodieMarty
HoagNorth Dakota State UniversityInformation
Technology Servicesmarty.hoag_at_ndsu.nodak.edu
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Nodie was coined by Jeff Schwab from Purdue
University as a take-off on a rock concert
roadie.
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NDSU Access Grid Chronology A typical
history

• August 1999 ITS Directors see AG at UKy
  Chautauqua
• September 1999 Watch Boston Chautauqua
• December 1999 Four staff attend tutorial at ANL
• Summer 2000 Build node
• August 2000 Join KU Chautauqua on the AG
• The rest is history

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The Access Grid

• Experimental technology to facilitate group
  collaboration over high speed networks such as
  Internet2
• A research project
• A resource

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Initial Access Grid Project Goals

• (Thanks to Lisa Childers, ANL)
• Enable group to group interaction
• Improve the user experience
• Go beyond teleconferencing
• Provide a sense of presence
• Support natural interaction

Continued
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Access Grid Goals (concluded)

• Use good quality but affordable digital IP based
  audio/video
• Leverage open source tools when possible
• Enable complex multi-site visual and
  collaborative experiences
• Build on integrated computational grid services
  architecture

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Access Grid Design Target
Sites
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0
0
3
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Participants / Site
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Access Grid Approach

• Attack research questions in the context of real
  world experience
• Build working infrastructure as well as
  prototype software
• Involve multiple groups in development and
  testing
• Release 1 (AGiB) out, Release 2 being planned
• Access Grid Documentation Project (AGDP)

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Physical Node Components

• Four PCs, each with specific role
• Three projectors on display wall with wide field
  of view
• Gentner digital audio echo cancellers/mixers,
  microphones, speakers
• Persistent connection
• Good Net

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Components of an AG Node
RGB Video
Digital Video
Display Computer
Multicast Enabled Network (20Mbs)
Shared App, Control
NTSC Video
Video Capture Computer
Digital Video
(200Kbs 1Mbs)
Analog Audio
Audio Capture Computer
Digital Audio
Echo Canceller/ Mixer
Control Computer
RS232 Serial
(Courtesy ANL)
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Audio

• Hands free just talk
• Interactive (low latency)
• Clear
• Rich sounding speech
• No background noise
• No echo or feedback

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Video

• Good quality but affordable
• Low latency
• Scale to life sized
• Multiple video streams
• Multiple Sites
• Multiple cameras presenter, audience, display

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Data

• Distributed PowerPoint (DPPT, RPPT)
• VNC (desktop sharing)
• Visualization (e.g. super computer output)

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Network

• Stable multicast infrastructure
• Large-scale test bed of real world experience
• gt10 Mbps reliable multicast required for most
  sessions
• Networking staff part of project (or bribe them)
• Helps push deployment and hardening of
  multicast
• Multicast beacon (NLANR/DAST) used for monitoring
  and diagnosis

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Multicast Beacon Subset
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Access Grid Tools

• Virtual Venue Software
• Allow multiple concurrent events, each in its own
  virtual room
• Moo / Mud Chat Rooms
• The Meadow Access Grid Hangout
• Virtual Venues
• Voyager Recording and Playback

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Access Grid Sites (Old Map)
(Thanks to EVL/UIC and ANL)
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Future Development

• AG Release 2 being planned
• Reference Release
• Formal documented interfaces
• More portable (less hardware dependent)
• New contributions

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Access Grid Events

• Meetings
• Workshops and Training Sessions
• Conferences
• Demonstrations
• Even fun

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MPI Workshop (OSC View)
NDSU
(Photo Courtesy OSC)
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NSF Program Review
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First Virtual Conference in Genomics and
Bioinformatics
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SC Global
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and Fun Symposium on Beer
(Screen Shot Courtesy of Kabe VanderBaan,
Motorola)
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Access Grid Benefits to NDSU

• Collaboration and content for faculty, staff,
  students
• Use of Access Grid research results, tools, tips,
  in other projects
• New skills and techniques
• Contacts at other sites
• Opportunity to work with lots of cool people

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For More Information

• http//www.accessgrid.org/
• http//www.ndsu.nodak.edu/accessgrid/