Access Grid

1
Access Grid Issues Activities in Korea -
JongWon Kim, Ph.D. APAN Workshop Jan-2003 Jan
22th, 2003 Networked Media Laboratory Dept. of
Information Communications Kwang-Ju Institute
of Science Technology (K-JIST) jongwon_at_kjist.ac.
kr http//netmedia.kjist.ac.kr
2
Contents

• Goals and History
• S/W Operation and H/W Setup
• Future Directions Toward Advanced Collaboration
  Environment
• Activities in Korea

3

• Access Grid
• - Goals and History -

4
Access Grid

• Access GRID
• Support group-to-group interaction across the Grid

5
The Access Grid

• Access Grid does for people what the
  computational Grid does for machines
• Much more than teleconferencing, if possible at
  commodity prices
• The Access Grid project focus is to enable groups
  of people to interact with Grid resources and to
  use the Grid technology to support group to group
  collaboration at a distance
• Distributed Lectures and seminars
• Remote participation in panel discussions
• Virtual site visits meetings
• Complex distributed grid based demonstrations

6
Access Grid Projects - Goals

• Enable group-to-group interactions at a distance
• Connect the people and teams of the Alliance and
  beyond
• Improve the user experience
• Provide an increased sense of presence
• Support natural human and instrument interaction
• Eliminate the boundaries of the monitor and the
  location
• Enable complex multisite visual and collaborative
  experiences
• Integrate with high-end visualization
  environments
• ActiveMural, Powerwall, CAVE Family, Flatland,
  Workbenches
• Build on integrated grid services architecture
• Develop new tools specifically to support group
  to group collaboration
• Use quality but affordable digital IP based
  audio/video
• Leverage Open Source IP tools
• Build from desktop to cave - high quality
  experiences

7
Access Grid vs. Commercial Tools

• AG reaches beyond the desktop
• large format multi-screen for AG global channels
• room-scale hands free full-duplex audio
• AG can have many (gt6) active participants
• AG uses dedicated hardware
• multiple machines, separation of function, NT,
  Linux
• AG network uses IP multicast
• venues map to multicast groups
• AG software is Open Source
• extends and builds on community tools
• AG development is a community effort
• AG supports AG development today

8
History

• AG Schedule originated September 1999
• Leaded by Argonne National Laboratory
• 6 tutorials since June 1999, 2 retreats
  (2001,2002)
• 130 AG nodes (Oct. 22, 2002)
• AG 1.2 Software released (Oct. 7, 2002)
• Discussion on AG 2.0

9
Usage Areas

• The Academic and Research, Government, Private
  Sectors
• Making Remote Collaborations Work across
  Boundaries
• Check Multi-Sector Collaboration over the Access
  Grid by J. T. von Hoffman (Boston Univ)

10

• Access Grid
• - S/W Operation and H/W Setup -

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Vic (Videoconferencing Tool)

• Multicast-based video conferencing tool
• VIC (H.261, MPEG), with stream synchronisation
  and encryption
• Based on RTP and UDP/IP
• Initially developed by the Network Research Group
  at the LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National
  Laboratory) in collaboration with the UC Berkeley
• UCL version, OpenMash version

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RAT (Robust Audio Tool)

• An open-source audio conferencing tool
• High quality audio and scalable audio
• Improved packet loss repair techniques
• Improved acoustics
• Improved Inter-tool Integration
• Based on RTP and UDP/IP
• UCL Network and Multimedia Research Group (1995)

13
VNC (Virtual Network Computing)

• Global, mobile, cross-platform access to personal
  computing environments
• Remote display system for application sharing
• View a computing 'desktop' environment not only
  on the machine where it is running, but from
  anywhere on the Internet and from a wide variety
  of machine architectures
• ATT Lab. Cambridge
• VNC version 3.3.4 (Sep. 2002)
• http//www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/

14
Distributed PowerPoint (DPPT)

• DPPT Provides a mechanism by which a presenter
  can control a PPT slide show on multiple sites
  from a single machine Requires a late-model
  Microsoft Java virtual machine
• RPPT - The RPPT application has been developed on
  the latest Win32 platform, Two keystone
  technologies that RPPT is based on are OLE/COM
  and group communication on TCP/IP. The entire
  application was developed with C.
• DPPT is traditional hack to share slides
• RPPT is being developed at KU to streamline use
  and eliminate some of the limitations

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VTK/VIC ? Chromium-vic

• Lessons learned from visual tool kit (vtk) - vic
• Chromium-vic Argonne National Laboratory
• Chromium (sourceforge.net/projects/chromium/)
• Transparent to most OpenGL applications
• Sort-first rendering
• Custom applications (Sort first, sort last,
  parallel constructs)
• vic same old vic

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Node Startup Virtual Venue
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Node Startup Virtual Venue
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The Multicast Service Model

• Application transmits UDP packets to a virtual
  Group Address
• Applications register their interest in those UDP
  packets (by Group Address And Source?)
• The operating system, networks, and routers
  conspire to deliver the UDP packets to interested
  receivers

service model
host-to-router protocol(IGMP)
multicast routing protocols(various)
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AG 1.x System Spec.
VV
Vic
RAT
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AGN Equipment/Facilities

• Multicast-enabled Networks (e.g., Internet2,
  APAN, )
• IP Multicasting
• 20 Mb bandwidth to node (12 Mb "normal" BW)
• Commodity hardwares ( 50k)
• 4 PC's (control, display, audio and video
  capture)
• Projectors, cameras, microphones, miscellaneous
• Open source softwares
• Vic, Rat, VNC, VTK, DPPT, Virtual Venue,

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Minimum Requirements for AGN

• Environment
• Have space for a minimum of 3 people to
  participate
• Software
• Virtual Venues Client Software 1.0 or later
• Venues Text Chat Client Software TkMoo
• NLANR Multicast Beacon Software
• Video
• Receive, Decode, and Present at least 18 QCIF
  (177x144) and 6 CIF(352x288) H.261 Video Streams
  via RTP
• Capture, Encode, and Transmit at least 4 CIF
  H.261 Video Streams via RTP

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Minimum Requirements for AGN (Cont.)

• Audio
• Receive, Decode, Process and Present at least 6
  audio streams via RTP (16bit 16kHz)
• Capture, Process, Encode and Transmit at least 1
  audio stream via RTP (16bit 16kHz)
• Audio should be Hands Free, Echo Cancelled, and
  Full duplex
• Analog Phone line
• Display
• 3072x768 shared display space
• The design and layout of the seating should allow
  users to sit at a distance between 2 and 8 times
  the screen height
• Network
• 100Mbps LAN connection, 10Mbps WAN connection
• Multicast capable (MSDP/PIM-SM/MBGP) Network
  connection

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Minimum requirements for networking
Stream Type Max. latency Max. Jitter Min. BW Max. Loss Multicast
Text 100 ms N/A 64 kbps 0 No
Audio 400 ms 60 ms 64 kbps 5 Yes
Video 400 ms 30 ms 256 kbps x 4 1 Mbps 25 Yes
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Personal Interface to the AG
Processor Dual P4-Xeon class processors, more than 1.5Ghz
Memory More than 512MB DDR-RAM
video Dual-head AGP video card Minimum single-head PCI video card
Audio Full-duplex audio support
Video capture card Osprey 200 PCI Video Capture cards
Echo cancellation Personal Echo Cancellation device (e.g.) Polycom SoundPointPC
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AG 1.0 -gt 1.1 -gt 1.2
AG 1.2 Release (7 Oct., 2002) Windows 2000 (service pack 3)/XP Display Machine Software
AG 1.2 Release (7 Oct., 2002) Release Notes
AG 1.1 Release (3 July, 2002) Windows 2000 (service pack 2) Display Machine Software
AG 1.1 Release (3 July, 2002) Release Notes
AG 1.1 Release (3 July, 2002) Personal Interface to the AG Hardware Recommendation
AG 1.0 Final Release candidate (RC5) Audio and Video Machine Software
AG 1.0 Final Release candidate (RC5) Windows 2000 Display Machine Software
AG 1.0 Final Release candidate (RC5) Installation and Startup Instructions
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• Access Grid
• Future Directions Towards Advanced
  Collaboration Environment

27
AG - Intentionally Designed Spaces

• Physical Groupwork spaces
• seating, lighting, audio, video, screens,
  worksurfaces
• Virtual collaborative spaces
• multiple interaction types (modalities)
• strong metaphors for resource organization
• interaction scope management
• Agenda driven scenarios and work sessions
• lectures, brainstorming, demos, meetings,
  planning
• Integration with GRID services
• resource management, security, services brokering

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Relation with AG and other projects
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AccessGrid-to-Go
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AG Enhancement Issues

• Improved quality
• Higher quality visual images and sound
• Seamless collaboration(e.g., app sharing, )
• Reduce cost/complexity of operation
• Automate operation at node no operators!
• Enter room, turn-on lights, join session, and go
• Auto diagnose problems
• Improved security
• Authenticated access and encrypted media
  transport
• Ubiquitous access
• Access from anywhere using any device (e.g.,
  phone, PDA, laptop,)
• Distributed work groups that come and go 24 hours
  a day
• Fix multicast !

From 2002 Access Grid Technical Retreat Meeting
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Access Grid Evolution AG 2.0

• Network Support
• Improved Audio
• Enhanced Video (High definition, 3D/Stereo Video,
  )
• Usability
• Inter-operability
• Security

32
Realization of Advanced Collaboration Environment
from AG
Immersive Media Supported Advanced Collaboration
Environment
Advanced Collaboration Environment
Access Grid 2.0
Access Grid
33

• Access Grid
• - Activities in Korea -

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NGrid Project lead by KISTI
GGF Grid
APAN APGrid
Euro APGrid
ANL/NCSA
APEC APGrid
NGrid KISTI(20022006)
Grid Tech-center
GNOC
National Grid Infra
Grid Standard
Grid Middleware Research
GFK
N BT Grid
N Supercmpt Grid
Security
N NT Grid
N Clusters Grid
Resource Mngt.
N CT Grid
Data Mngt.
N Appls. Grid
N ET Grid
Inf. Service
Access Grid
N IT Grid
VR Grid
N ST Grid
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KISTI AG

• First AG in Korea (2002)

Int. AG Community
KISTIs Access Grid Node
Digital Video
RGB Video
Display Computer
Shared App. Control
Network enabled IP multicast
NTSC Video
Video Capture Computer
Digital Video
Analog Audio
Digital Audio
Mixer
Audio Capture Computer
RS232 Serial
Control Computer
Echo Canceller
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KISTI AG Activities (1)

• Meeting Support
• 2002. 4/254/26 Official NeSC Opening 2002
  meeting support
• 2002. 7 8 KISTI-EVL/UIC VR Grid Co-research
  Support
• 2002. 7/22 7/24, 10/16 10/17 GGF5 Plenary
  Track GGF6 WG/RG
• Operation Support
• AG system operation trainings
• AG deployment manual

37
KISTI AG Activities (2)

• AG System Promotion
• AG Community GFK AG Working Group
• AG Homepage (under construction)
• accessgrid.or.kr, accessgrid-kr.org

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Securable Access for AG

• PDA AG Communication

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Securable Access for AG
CA Venue Server Room Grade Expire Number
? Request identity certification ? Receive
identity certification from CA ? The CA sends
identity certification to Venue Server ? Send
identity certification, video stream and audio
stream to Venue Server ? The Venue Server
compares identity certification of PDA with
identity certification of CA ? The Venue Server
sends video and audio stream of other node to PDA
in proportion to the grade ? The venue Server
sends video and audio stream of PDA to other node
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K-JIST Mini AG

• Personal Interface to Access Grid (PIG) (Oct.
  2002)
• With AG 1.2 release (note that PIG software is
  still very delicate)

41
3D Display over Enhanced AG (by K-JIST)
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Thank You!
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References

• Access Grid Homepagehttp//www.accessgrid.org/
  or http//www-fp.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/defaul
  t.htm
• Access Grid Node Minimum Requirements, Access
  Grid Documentation Project, 2002
• The Access Grid Node An Operators Manual,
  Access Grid Tutorials, Dec., 1999
• Building and Using an Access Grid Node, Access
  Grid Tutorials, Dec., 1999
• The Access Grid and the Future of Distributed
  Collaboration, Access Grid Tutorial, May, 2000
• Remote Visualization on the Access Grid, Access
  Grid Retreat 2002
• Jennifer Teig von Hoffman, Multi-Sector
  Collaboration over the Access Grid