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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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 Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
• HEPiX
5th December 2005
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
(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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
• Infrastructure and Machine Room issues
• Other than cooling, power and space…
5th December 2005
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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
HEPiX Trip Report - HEPSysMan, Oxford
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