Visual Grid Tutorial

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Visual Grid Tutorial

• PI Dr. Bina Ramamurthy
• Computer Science and Engineering Dept.
• Graduate Student Surabhi Abhayankar
• Undergraduate Student Min Suk Cha
• This project is partially supported by
• Educational Technology Grant of
• University at Buffalo and
• NSF DUE CCLI AI 0311473

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Introduction Grid Computing

• Grid computing offers an open and standard
  framework for integrating resources and
  computations across distributed, heterogeneous
  and dynamic organizations.
• It is an emerging technology that is expected to
  provide scalable solutions for a wide range
  complex scientific problems.
• Examples drug discovery, advanced weather
  prediction models modeling spreading of avian
  flu financial portfolio management space
  applications

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Problem Addressed

• While the grid can solve a wide range of
  problems, lack of a proper learning tool is
  hiding its real worth and impairing its growth
  and application.
• To address these problems, we have designed and
  implemented a Visual Grid Tutorial (ViGOR) tool
  to disseminate to grid concepts and application
  models.

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ViGOR Tool

• We have designed a tool that grid concepts at
  three levels of detail
• Executive Summary
• High level information
• Basic Concepts
• Architectural details and building blocks
  enabling a grid
• Grid Programming
• Programming models with optional code details

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Tool Screen Shot
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Discussion Topics

• Design of ViGOR
• Implementation Details
• Grid Computing Concepts Illustrated
• Usage Models
• Broader Impact of ViGOR
• Summary
• References
• Demo

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Design Details

• Fully animated visual tour of the concepts
  presented at three levels
• Executive or policy maker
• Grid user
• Grid programmer
• There levels will be presented embedded within
  each other and one can easily navigate among the
  three

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Implementation Details

• Vector graphics offered by Flash and the related
  e-learning support offered by Macromedia worked
  in favor of choosing Flash as the basic medium
  for development of ViGOR.
• Moreover, it provides more slick and portable
  outputs.
• ViGOR has been developed as a stand alone,
  web-accessible tool.

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Grid Computing Concepts

• Different types of grid
• Core services offered by the grid
• soft-state management, notification, service
  data, routing, logging and virtualization
• System level services
• Security and job execution
• Higher level services
• Storage services, information services and
  resource framework
• Application models
• Programming models

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Usage Models

• Level 1 (Executive summary level) can be used to
  publicize the grid technology to any audience
  from high school students to corporate policy
  makers and novices to grid.
• Level 2 (Grid user level) will teach users how to
  use a grid for problem solving in their domain.
• Level 3 (Grid programmer level) will expose
  programming models and code details. Used in all
  distributed systems courses. (CSE4/586)

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Broader Impact

• Provide a healthy support for the growth of the
  grid.
• Provide many inquiring minds a visual tour of the
  grid technology.
• Offer an appealing façade to motivate
  undergraduates and visual learners to explore the
  grid.
• Adaptable, independent, and easily accessible.
• Framework for collaboration among grid computing
  specialists and domain experts.

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Summary

• ViGOR is a unique project that will explicitly
  showcase the grid technology.
• Learning tool ViGOR will complement the grid
  curriculum effort that is underway at UB and
  elsewhere.
• We plan to leverage ViGOR effort to seek external
  funding for expansion of ViGOR.

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Future ViGOR Version 2

• Add more content grid computing area is vast
• Improve visual appeal current version is still
  textual
• Evaluate the usefulness of the tool

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References

• http//www.globus.org
• Grid related information
• http//www.macromedia.com
• Macromedia Flash and e-learning suite of software
  and some sample projects
• http//www.cse.buffalo.edu/gridforce
• PIs NSF-supported grid curriculum project to
  improve the technical preparedness of our
  workforce for the grid. The project is called
  Grid For Collaboration, Research and Education
  (GridFoRCE)

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ViGOR1.0ViGOR1.2