Web-based Virtual Research Environments (VRE): Supporting Collaboration in e-Science

1. Web-based Virtual Research Environments (VRE): Supporting Collaboration in e-Science Xiaobo Yang, Rob Allan CCLRC e-Science Centre Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, UK WSS’06, 18th December 2006, Hong Kong

2. Overview • Demand on Virtual Research Environments (VRE) • Sakai VRE Portal Demonstrator Project • Extensions of Sakai for VRE • Concluding remarks

3. Demand for VRE • Why VRE is required in research? • Researchers are facing increasingly more and more complex challenges • Integration of resources and collaboration is essential in research • VRE aims at supporting research activities to improve efficiency and productivity • M. Fraser • “VRE is best viewed as a framework into which tools, services and resources can be plugged” • Pluggable • Our understanding • VRE is a flexible service-oriented platform which is used to support all kinds of research activities including administrative tasks to meet dynamically changing requirements of research in all disciplines • Key: efficient collaboration, service-oriented

4. Sakai VRE Portal Demonstrator Project • Sakai VRE Portal Demonstrator Project • A UK JISC funded project making use of Sakai to build up a general-purpose VRE system • What is Sakai? • A collaboration and learning environment targeting higher education market originated by University of Michigan, et al. • Java-based, open-source, free to use • Sakai provides a set of collaboration tools, e.g., chat, discussion • A world-wide scope Sakai community has been built up for deployment, development, etc. – see Sakai map on the next slide • From CLE to VRE • CLE: collaborative learning environments, for supporting learning • VRE: virtual research environments, for supporting research Both for supporting collaboration ►CLE can be extended to VRE

5. Sakai Map • Screenshot taken on 18th December 2006 from http://www.sakaiproject.org/

6. Sakai-based VRE Architecture Sakai tool Sakai tool Sakai tool Sakai tool Sakai VRE Sakai framework Sakai tool External tool External tool • Pluggable • New tools can be plugged in the framework • Tools can act as hosts of external tools -> possible to support emerging and new standards

7. Extensions of Sakai for VRE • Sakai provides a set of useful tools/services, but that’s not enough for a VRE system • Our extensions • Groupware integration • Grid tool integration • Document management

8. Groupware Integration • Groupware integration • Accessing Microsoft Exchange server through WebDAV • Calendars are widely used to arrange events for example to book meetings • Microsoft Exchange server has been widely deployed • Sakai has its own calendar tool • Users do not want more than one calendar application • Answer: access Microsoft Exchange server through WebDAV • Import calendar events from Microsoft Exchange server to Sakai • When a Sakai calendar event is created, synchronise to Microsoft Exchange server • Email integration

9. Import Calendar Events from Microsoft Exchange Server

10. Grid Tool Integration • Grid aims at providing computing and data power on demand • A technique can be utilised for supporting research • Requirement of integration of Grid tools in Sakai • We hope to provide the power of grid in our VRE system to researchers • A set of grid portlets including proxy manager, job submission, file transfer, etc. has been developed for the UK National Grid Service (NGS) Portal so that NGS can be accessed transparently • Re-use rather than re-development • Unfortunately Sakai does not support the Java Portlet Specification 1.0 - JSR 168 (work is now going on for integration of Pluto in Sakai in USA) We do NOT want to do it again! ►This can be done through WSRP

11. What is WSRP? • WSRP ( Web Services for Remote Portlets ) • An OASIS standard to solve the interoperability issue between portal frameworks • Defines presentation-based and interactive web services Web Clients Web Clients Portals Web Clients WSRP Services Portals Web Clients Portals Portals Web Clients Portals Portals Web Clients WSRP Services Portals Web Clients Portals Portals Web Clients Portals Web Clients WSRP Services Web Clients e.g.

12. Why WSRP? • Portlets can now be re-utilised without even re-deployment • WSRP producer is responsible for publishing portlets • WSRP consumer can then be used to consume them • Portlet vendors are responsible for maintenance/upgrade of portlets • In our case • NGS Portal acts as WSRP producer • Sakai acts as WSRP consumer

13. BatchJobMonitor Portlet Running in Sakai through WSRP

14. Document Management • Idea comes from our experience in organising workshops • We want a tool to help us manage papers/reviews • Document Management System (DMS) • Admin • Set up conference/workshop site, PC members, topics, etc. • Auto-allocate papers to reviewers • Email service • Author • Submit/update/delete paper(s), check review(s) and result(s) • Reviewer • Download papers allocated • Submit reviews • DMS tool can be used together with Sakai’s collaborative tools like announcement, chat, etc. to form a fully functional conference tool

15. Document Management inside DMS

16. Concluding Remarks • VRE systems aim at supporting all kinds of research activities in multiple disciplines to meet today’s more and more complex challenges • E-Learning systems can be converted to e-Research systems with proper extensions • The following extensions have been applied to Sakai: • Integration of groupware for accessing Microsoft Exchange server through WebDAV; • Integration of grid tools through WSRP so that existing (grid) portlets can be used inside Sakai • document management to help organise conference/workshop

17. Questions? Thank you for your time!