martin bly – ral tier1 hepsysman – oxford 5 december 2005

HEPiX Trip ReportStanford Linear Accelerator Center

10 - 14 October 2005http://www.slac.stanford.edu/conf/hepix05/index.ht

ml

Martin Bly – RAL Tier1

HEPSysMan – Oxford5 December 2005

5th December 2005

HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford

Overview

• Collaborative Tools SIG• HEPiX• Machine Room Issues SIG

5th December 2005


Collaborative Tools SIG

• Why? LCG RTAG notes: very big modern experiments have very many people needing to collaborate, complexity of modern experiments needs collaboration.

• Lots of technologies: – Electronic mail, including mailing lists– Document management– Agenda management and calendaring– Instant messaging– blogs– Shared whiteboards– Web casting– Phone and Video conferencing– Etc, etc.

5th December 2005


Wikki / Web

• Several groups reported on their Wikki systems– Twikki @ GSI: web-based groupware applications

such as minutes, holiday notifications, IT documentation.

– FZK: Configuration and change management portal.• FormFactory (DESY)

– FormFactory is a work in progress to ease the building of web forms for non experts. Based on state of the art perl modules. Template-based - separation of program flow (CGI::Application), layout (using CSS) and content (Templates).

• Indico (CERN):– Event management software – born out of a need for

something to manage CHEP 2004

5th December 2005


Conferencing

• VoIP: Alf Wachsmann– features of Skype, costs,

security issues

• AccessGRID: JCG– multipoint video

conferencing designed mainly for dedicated conference rooms

• VRVS/EVO– Big increase in use– EVO: new generation

• Unicast, single port• Lots of work on codecs

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Bookings

Messenger -SIPMessenger -SIP

H.323 MCUH.323 MCU

AGAGH.323H.323

EVO

EVO: EVO: End-to-End Self Managed and Secure RTC End-to-End Self Managed and Secure RTC InfrastructureInfrastructure

EVO: EVO: End-to-End Self Managed and Secure RTC End-to-End Self Managed and Secure RTC InfrastructureInfrastructure

5th December 2005


Desktop systems

• NICE @ CERN– Windows desktop environment– Use of Office tools:

• File sharing• Sharing information in Outlook• Workflow with Office and mail• Instant Messenger

5th December 2005


• HEPiX

5th December 2005


Site Reports – Highlights I

• SLAC– Peta-cache project: 30TB RAM under xrootd

• RAL– New tape robot December

• CERN– IRC/P2P banned, VPN now biggest route for mal-ware into CERN– 200 dual Nocona systems, 116 disk servers (900TB)

• BNL/RHIC– Evaluating dual-core systems:

• 20% less power idle of full compared to Xeon 3.4GHz• SPECint/watt -> Opteron best

• INFN– Widespread use of SANs

• Oxford– Gb/s to campus, new firewall

• TRIUMF– Mini-Google site document index

5th December 2005


Site Reports – Highlights II

• IN2P3– K4 to K5 and TransARC to OpenAFS planned

• GSI– Work on 64bit Debian– 3ware 9550 very reliable

• GridKa– dCache @ 40TB

• using GPFS to overcome terrible write performance of ext3• DAPNIA

– Developing a ‘federal T2’• JLAB

– 10Gb/s WAN. Secure wireless using WPA, works with XP2, RHEL ¾• DESY

– New exchange cluster• NERSC

– LSF -> SGE, looking at SL4.– USB serial console

5th December 2005


(In)Security

• Bob Cowles talk on security issues– Large set of sniffed password at the

meeting– Tools now very sophisticated – Cain &

Abel– New phishing and pharming scams– Rainbow tables - crack passwords in

minutes

5th December 2005


Scientific Linux

• Distribution:– 3.0.X levelling off, 4.N increasing markedly.

• UK top download after US, Taiwan next• SL 3.0.5: July 05, i386, ia64, x86_64• SL 4.1: August 05, i386, ia64, x86_64• Bugfix repository

– Next releases: • SL 4.2 in preparation

– (Released 2 December)• SL 3.0.6 (RHEL 3 U6)

– Will do after SL 4.2– At least a bugfix repository

• SL 5: depends on RH schedules– Will attempt to get it out asap after RH make it available.– RHEL 5 maybe 2Q06

– Looking for volunteers to coordinate science applications, other applications

– Looking to expend support for SL3 security patches as far as RH

5th December 2005


Linux @ CERN

• SLC4– Certification starting October, complete end 05– Use only in CC – not for wide deployment– Fallback if SL5 not available in time for LHC– Modern hardware support useful for disk servers

• 64bit– Working on it. Can’t stay 32bit only much

longer. Some uses will want/need 64bit.

• No difference between SL and SLC– Binary compatible

5th December 2005


Storage Resource Managers

– Xrootd – SLAC/IN2P3• Design philosophy and implementation

– dCache – USATLAS• Detail view of dCache at BNL

– SRB – IN2P3/SLAC• Data replication control between SLAC and IN2P3

– Panassas – Brookhaven• View of 100TB installation

– DPM - T2s• Lightweight Disk Pool Manager designed for

implementation at T2 sites – focus on manageability

5th December 2005


• Infrastructure and Machine Room issues

• Other than cooling, power and space…

5th December 2005


Machine Room SIG

• Testing high performance tape drives– CERN testing of various new high spec tape units

• Hardware Procurement– How CERN buys capacity hardware

• 36 weeks from initiation to preliminary acceptance!

• Benchmarking at GridKa– Detailed view of benchmarking and how to

address the issues• 4 jobs on Opteron dual-core 3% less than sum of 4

single jobs• Cost of power for 3 years ~ 50% of purchase price

5th December 2005


And finally:

• The 100ft tree vs the payroll– The tail of how the SLAC computer folk

rose to the challenge of a 100ft tree cutting their power – and how they got the payroll run done.

• http://www.slac.stanford.edu/conf/hepix05/talks/friday/boeheim.pdf

martin bly – ral tier1 hepsysman – oxford 5 december 2005

Documents

management portal

event management software

big modern experiments

video conferencingetc

new generationunicast

cern200 dual nocona

security issuesaccessgrid

security issueslarge