Title: eViz
1e-Viz
- Towards an Adaptive Framework for Visualization
on the Grid
2e-Vizzers
- e-Viz is a three year joint research project
funded by UK EPSRC - Four partner universities
- University of Leeds
- (Ken Brodlie, Jason Wood)
- University of Manchester
- (John Brooke, Mark Riding)
- University of Wales, Bangor (Nigel John, Chris
Hughes) - University of Wales, Swansea
- (Min Chen, David Chisnall, Mark Jones, Nicolas
Roard)
UW Bangor
U Manchester
U Leeds
UW Swansea
3What problem are we trying to solve?
Which are applicable to the data?
Which is the most suitable?
Whats fastest? Availability?
Data
Choose Visualization Algorithm
Choose Software to Implement Algorithm
Choose Hardware to run on
Visualization Specialist
e-Scientist
Domain Scientist
4Why are we trying to solve this?
- Because not all potential Grid visualization
users are experts in visualization and Grid
technologies.
5Why are we trying to solve this?
Grid Visualization Developers
e-Scientists
Grid Experience
Application Scientists
Visualization Specialists
Visualization Experience
6Putting Visualization on the Grid
- Can the Grid help? its supposed to be
- heterogeneous in architecture
- seamless and transparent in use
- fault tolerant in operation
- capable of adapting to the changing environment
in order to provide the best service.
7What can the Grid offer?
- Heterogeneity architectures
8What can the Grid offer?
- Heterogeneity operating systems
9What can the Grid offer?
- Heterogeneity visualization software
10What can the Grid offer?
- Heterogeneity Implications
- There are a wide variety of architectures,
operating systems and software applications used
in visualization. - Each has its own particular rewards and
benefits, but we cant expect every Grid user to
be knowledgeable and proficient with each, or
even to know which is the most appropriate for a
given task. - Want to be able to offer the power afforded by
each application to all potential users of
visualization.
11What can the Grid offer?
- Seamlessness and transparency Implications
- End users should only have to learn one
interface, but still be able to benefit from the
features offered by a wide range of applications. - But each visualization application has its own
user interface - and every operating system looks and behaves
differently
12What can the Grid offer?
- Fault tolerance Implications
- A distributed system is one in which the failure
of a computer you didnt even know existed can
render your own computer unusable Leslie
Lamport - A Grid system is one in which the failure of a
computer you didnt even know existed goes by
unnoticed - Users should be able to rely on the Grid
13What can the Grid offer?
- Fault Tolerance - User Scenario
keyboard, please
14What can the Grid offer?
- Adaptation Implications
- The world is dynamic and ever changing so is the
Grid. - Network loads and status
- Queues on HPC machines
- Runtime limits on HPC machines
- CPU loading, both remotely and locally
- A Grid system should adapt to cope with changes
15How can we solve this problem?
16What is Visualization?
17What is Visualization?
18What is Visualization?
19What is Visualization?
20Common Abstract Interface
21Common Abstract Interface
22Common Abstract Interface
23Common Abstract Interface
24Common Abstract Interface
- Feasibility
- can we create equivalent visualizations using
different software packages?
25Equivalent Visualizations?
26Equivalent Visualizations?
27Abstraction
- Need to describe the pipeline itself need an
abstract visualization description language - gViz project gives us skML
28Abstraction
- Format Conversion
- Most visualization software applications can
already read a wide range of data formats
29Abstraction
30Abstraction
- Computational Steering
- RealityGrid or gViz APIs can be used to control a
running pipeline - Visualization applications must be instrumented
to expose their steerable pipeline parameters - Currently instrumented VTK and RTRT (real time
ray tracer) - GUI created, which is really a specialised
Computational Steering client - Reads in a pipeline description and dynamically
configures itself to show appropriate widgets
31Abstraction
32Abstraction
- Frame Transport
- Images can be rendered locally or remotely in
either case, they need to be displayed on the
users own machine, as well as any collaborators - Have created a library to compress remote images
and transport them back to the client for
display. Visualization applications can be
modified to use the library - Range of image compression codecs
- Local rendering supported via a rendering overlay
- Linux and Windows clients
33What do we still need?
- Decision making
- What visualizations are applicable for a given
input data type - Which of the available hardware and software is
most suitable to implement such a pipeline - User may not know the answer to these questions
provide assistance
34Architecture
WSRF
Globus
gViz
e-Viz
35Architecture (Current)
WSRF
Globus
gViz
e-Viz
36Demonstration 1
- gViz Pollution Demonstrator - shows
- Active simulations as a data source
- Computational steering of an active visualization
- Common interface to servers
37Demonstration 1
38Demonstration 2
- Volume Render Demonstrator shows
- Heterogeneous access to multiple servers
- (Almost) seamless switching between servers
- Fault tolerance through redundancy
39Demonstration 2
40The Knowledge Gap
- The Broker has a knowledgebase which it will use
to make informed decisions on pipeline choices. - Its empty!
41How to Distribute?
42How to Distribute?
43How to Distribute?
44How to Distribute?
45How to Distribute?
46When to Distribute?
- Depends on
- Where the dataset resides
- How big the dataset is
- Network bandwidth
- Available machines
- Chosen algorithm
- Queue status
- CPU capabilities
- Graphical capabilities
- ..
47Other problems
- Single point of failure in the broker
48Conclusions
- e-Viz has created a framework for visualization
on the Grid that is - Heterogeneous in architecture
- Seamless and transparent in use
- Fault tolerant
- Adaptive (potentially)
- But much more to be done! (project runs another
16 months)
49For more information
- See a live demo
- Tuesday 22nd, 1400-1630, White Rose Grid stand
- Project Web Site
- http//www.eviz.org
- email
- mark.riding_at_manchester.ac.uk