SouthEast Europe eInfrastructure Activities and National Grid Initiatives

1
South-East Europe eInfrastructure Activities and
National Grid Initiatives
Dr. Ognjen Prnjat Greek Research Technology
Network
2
Agenda

• Case study for systematic development of
  eInfrastructure in South East Europe
• National Grid Initiatives concept and
  recommendations

3
Agenda

• Case study for systematic development of
  eInfrastructure in South East Europe
• National Grid Initiatives concept and
  recommendations

4
European vision

• One of the key aims of the European Research Area
  is integrated networking Grid environment
  eInfrastructure.
• eInfrastructure allows new methods of global
  collaborative research - referred to as eScience.
  
• Vision build a European-wide Grid-based
  infrastructure on top of a broadband networking
  infrastructure
• Integrates computing power, storage, sensors,
  instruments and databases.
• Open to wide user and provider communities
• Transparent, reliable, pervasive and ubiquitous
• Secure provide trust across multiple admin
  domains.
• Provide better service to its users.

5
GÉANT2 global connectivity
6
Grids global coverage
7
SEE Regional vision

• The vision ease the digital divide in SE
  Europe.
• Contribute to the reconstruction and
  stabilisation of the region
• Help promote scientific and educational
  cooperation between EU MS and SEE
• Act as an enabler for dissemination and
  development of eInfrastructure technologies in
  SEE states that are on course to joining the EU

Ease the digital divide in SE Europe
Bring SEE in the RE Networking Map
8
SEE Regional strategy

• GRNET strategy was to drive the regional
  developments
• within the framework of wider European
  developments
• based on the experience of local Greek
  developments
• recently strongly stimulating National-level
  activities
• Timeline
• SEEREN1/2 project establishing the regional
  inter-NRN interconnectivity and GEANT links
• SEEGRID1/2 building the regional Grid
  infrastructure within and beyond EGEE
• SEEFIRE studying the feasibility of long-term
  solutions for dark fiber backbone in the region
• SEELIGHT implementation of the lambda facility
  in the region

9
SEEREN A small step for the SEE NRENs, a big
leap for the region

• South-Eastern European Research and
  Education Network
• Interconnects the Research and Education Networks
  of AL, BA, BG, MK, RS, HU, RO, MO and GR among
  them and to GEANT.
• Launched and entered stable operation on Jan.
  2004.
• in 2005 connectivity is co-funded by GEANT2.
• 2006 SEEREN2, 2,5ME
• Constitutes today the SEE segment of GEANT
• Distributes the Network Management Operations
  to competent Academic Groups in the Region (the
  Virtual Network Operations Center VNOC concept
  developed by GRNET).
• SEEREN enacted a communication channel between
  the SEE scientific community. Refocused the RE
  community in their common endeavors
• More at www.seeren.org

10
SEELight SEE lambda facility for RE

• Project for the deployment of an advanced
  regional network infrastructure (lambda network
  facility) for RE, under the Hellenic Plan for
  the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans
  (HiPERB).
• Budget 20-30ME. Started.
• SEELight is the response to the need of SEE for
  high-quality research and education. The project
  will
• help create a viable economy-of-scale model for
  the region to reduce networking costs per
  country,
• support the evolving needs of SEE RE communities
  in the fields of domestic and international data
  communications,
• serve as a testbed for development of new
  services, and allow the SEE RE community to
  participate in international networking
  activities
• assist the SEE countries to achieve their
  development goals, support the growth of their
  National Research Education Networks (NRENs),
  accelerate research, fuel national and regional
  economic growth, and aid their integration with
  the rest of Europe.

11
SEEGRID the eInfrastructure inclusion into SEE

• Current infrastructure 11 Countries, 31 sites,
  950 CPUs, 24B storage gLite
• Infrastructure overlapping and complementing to
  EGEE
• SEEGRID open to new fresher sites
• SEEGRID open to new applications

SEEREN
EGEE
SEE-GRID
12
SEEGRID applications

• Support for EGEE HEP and Biomed and phase1 pilot
  applications
• SEE Region within EGEE and SEEGRID strongly
  supports WISDOM data challenges drug discovery
  for malaria
• Volumetric Image Visualization Environment (VIVE)
  and Search Engine for South-East Europe (SE4SEE)
• Extended application questionnaire on-line
• 32 Applications identified
• ? Prioritization needed in terms of support
• Supported applications
• 19 supported applications
• Seismology, nanoelectronics, financial
  mathematics, scientific visualization, rendering,
  bioinformatics, etc

13
Agenda

• Case study for systematic development of
  eInfrastructure in South East Europe
• National Grid Initiatives concept and
  recommendations

14
SEEGRID National Grid Initiatives

• NGI is an open consortium of legal entities or a
  legal entity acting on their behalf that, for the
  benefit of research and education community,
  coordinates, promotes and implements Grid
  activities at the National level, focusing on
  Grid deployment and operations, according to a
  National strategy / research and deployment
  programme for this field.
• SEEGRID supports creation of NGIs in the SEE
  region

15
NGI mechanism

• NGI mechanism crucial for
• Enabling involvement and cooperation of key
  personnel (Technical people, Policy makers,
  Stakeholders)
• Coherent representation of collective interests
  in the domain
• Coordinated infrastructure development
• Raising awareness at user communities level
• Initiating national potential for Grid
  applications development and stimulating
  computing-intensive domains of science

16
NGI cookbook

• 1. Build a community. Get in touch with diverse
  research institutes interested in scientific
  computing, large computing centres, and the NRN
  and get consensus towards common strategy for
  Grid development in the country.
• Form a wide community achieve a critical mass.
• Identify a champion.
• 2. Sign a MoU or build a JRU defining common goal
  in setting up an NGI and developing the Grid
  infrastructure and general Grid activities in the
  country.
• JRU promoted in FP6 as a form of collaboration
  between legal entities and without legal status
  of its own
• scientific and economic unity
• permanent character (i.e. not one-off or project
  specific)
• recognised by a public authority.

17
MoU template

• Different inputs from different existing MoUs
• OBJECTIVE
• The Parties recognise the significance of Grid
  infrastructure and services as a fundamental
  element for carrying out national and
  international research as well as the directions
  of the Framework Programmes of the EU regarding
  research infrastructures. Taking this into
  account, the parties strive to work together
  towards establishment and/or continuation of the
  National Grid Initiative in Country XYZ, which
  aims to provide the National Grid Infrastructure
  for the benefit of the national RE community to
  carry out research as well as to interconnect
  with international Grid structures and
  researchers. The Parties aim to bring together
  and share Grid Operations staff, Grid Scientific
  User staff and other resources (Grid clusters,
  etc) to the benefit of fulfilling this objective
  in the framework of common projects and contracts
  that they carry out and for which they are
  financed.

18
MoU template

• Different inputs from different existing MoUs
• PURPOSE
• This MOU reflects the Parties intention to form
  a Joint Research Unit to co-ordinate the
  development and use of the National Grid
  Infrastructure, the activities of which will
  include
• Sharing know-how regarding Grid technologies
• Setting up and expansion of the National Grid
  Infrastructure computing and storage.
• Supporting relevant national and international
  user communities in the use of this
  infrastructure, to be specified by separate
  Service Agreements
• Training and dissemination activities with the
  aim of raising awareness of Grid concepts within
  the research community within the country.
• Taking part in selected national and
  international Grid projects and programmes.
• MANAGEMENT OF THE JRU, DURATIONA ND TERMINATION,
  GENERAL.

19
NGI cookbook

• 3. Write a National Strategy Document. State
  major objectives and approach, and identify
  potential Grid resources and user groups in the
  country. This document could also define the
  structure of the NGI and its decision mechanisms
  and internal organisation.
• SEEGRID National Strategy Document template
• 4. Approach relevant ministries with the national
  strategy document, and get Government Support
• Letter of Support
• A ministry can also officially appoint a task
  force

20
NGI cookbook

• 5. Organise an official Inauguration Event of the
  National Grid Initiative targeted at wider
  public.
• 6. Seek National funding programme by proposing a
  national-level project.

21
NGI cookbook

• 7. Consider Technical Aspects choice of
  middleware, establishing pilot Grid clusters even
  with basic resources, aim to support core
  services for the pilot national VO, use the VO to
  establish the sharing culture. Establish
  technical teams and responsibilities.
• 8. Define and adopt the National-level policies
• Grid and VO Acceptable Usage Policy
• MoUs between NGI and / site hosting institution /
  application (project)
• Site oriented policy documents SLA between site
  NGI / VO / application
• Security policy documents, CP/CPS
• Procedure guides site / VO / user registration

22
NGI status
MGKK 2003
RoGrid 05/02
Before SEE-GRID-2
CRO-GRID 01/04
AEGIS 04/05
NGI-BA 03/06
BGGC 01/03
During SEE-GRID-2
MARGI 04/05
MGI 11/06
Planned for 2nd Year
TR-GRID 09/03
HellasGrid 11/03
22
23
Overall recommendations

• This is general guideline
• No silver bullet at the national level
• Could have diverse national strategies/agendas
• Benefit by studying best-practices as well as
  bad-practices followed in other advanced,
  eInfrastructure-established regions and countries
• National Vision important
• Human capital and cooperation is the key
• Identify a local champion needed to drive things
• Carry out complementary but coordinated actions.
• Government support is crucial ? same as for NRNs

24
Future converged communication and service
infrastructure for SEE
e-Infrastructure
SEEKnow-1
SEEGRID-3
SEEREN-3 Geant Support
25
Strategic priority

• Strategic success metrics of eInfrastructure
  activities
• not Gbps/sec
• not the number of nodes
• not the TBs of storage
• The initiatives are puzzle pieces of RTD efforts
  to sustain national and regional development
• Increasing the retention of talented scientists
  in the region
• Pursuing joint RD efforts among countries in the
  region
• Making available the benefits of the Information
  Society for citizens
• Easing the digital divide between the region and
  the countries at other side of the spectrum
• Improvement of regional competitiveness in all
  market sectors
• Regional political stability and cohesiveness

26
Conclusions

• South-East European initiatives managed to bring
  this unprivileged region to the level of Western
  European developments within a time span of 3
  years
• An example of how a set of complementary and
  coordinated activities can achieve rapid
  development
• National dimension is crucial NRN, NGI
• Sustainability as the long-term goal
• SEE initiatives are open for discussions,
  feedback, inputs to other regional initiatives!

27
Thank you!