The VL-e Proof of Concept Environment&
The VL-e PoC Installer
Jan Just KeijserSystem Integrator P4 Team
What is the PoC environment?
Application development
NL-Grid production clusterCentral mass-storage facilities
+SURFnetInitial compute
platform
Stable, reliable, testedCert. releases Grid MW & VL-
software
VL-e Proof of Concept EnvironmentVL-e Rapid Prototyping Environment
DAS-2,local resources
VL-e Certification Environment
NL-Grid FabricResearch Cluster
Test & Cert.Grid MW & VL-software
Compatibility
Flexible, test environment
Environments
Usage
Characteristics
Virtual Lab.rapid prototyping
(interactive simulation)
Flexible, ‘unstable’
PoC Release n Release Candidaten+1
Developers environment
is a shared, common environment, where different tools and services are both used and provided by the VL-e community
PoC: Hardware and Software
• The PoC Distribution is set of software that provides a layer of middleware for developing VL-e
Grid applications Serves as a reference set of software that is present
all throughout VL-e Grid Is released as a set of Linux RPM’s for
RHEL3/CentOS3/ScientificLinux3 platforms
• The PoC Environment is the ensemble of systems running the PoC Distribution
• The PoC Installer is a setup program wrapped around the PoC Distribution for easy installation and configuration
• Current version (Alpha): http://poc.vl-e.nl/distribution
PoC Central Facility topology
Grid Certificates
• Grid access involves access to many different computer systems in many different sites. With old-style username/password, a unique username and password are required for each computer system. This is too cumbersome for both the end user and the admins;
• On the Grid, you will be using a certificate. This certificate binds together your identity (name, affiliation, etc.) and a unique piece of digital data called a “public key”
• The use of a public key to authenticate yourself is based on “asymmetric cryptography”.
• Where do I apply for a grid certificate?https://ca.dutchgrid.nl/request
Common Questions:
• Does it run on Windows? Short answer: No Longer answer: Sort of …
• Do I really need to use certificates? Yes, Grid Site administrators need to keep track
of who is doing what. Without resorting to giving everybody a unique userid, a different mechanism is required. For this, a PKI and X.509 certificates are used.
• Where do I apply for a grid certificate?https://ca.dutchgrid.nl/request
“If Microsoft is the answer,then it must have been
a very silly question”
Questions?