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Allocations Progress. David Hart Area Director, User-Facing Projects/Core Services TeraGrid Quarterly Meeting December 2008. Allocations. YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGES. LRAC SUs, Requests & Awards. LRAC: Sept 07 v. Sept 08.
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Allocations Progress David Hart Area Director, User-Facing Projects/Core Services TeraGrid Quarterly Meeting December 2008
Allocations YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGES
LRAC: Sept 07 v. Sept 08 *Lonestar had a significantly reduced availability at this meeting, ~1M SUs.
xRAC Submissions, New & Renewal Where arethey now?
Startups, FY07 v. FY08 # Requests, Awards SUs Requested, Awarded
What does it all mean? • Good News • Number of TRAC requests, aggregate SUs requested are growing • Available SUs staying ahead of the curve (so far) • Successfully attracting New xRAC requests • 750 Startups in FY08 — two every day! • Not-so-Good News • Non-traditional resources not enjoying the same growth. • Storage, visualization, Condor, Advanced Support • Suspect the same for non-traditional usage modes (grid, etc.) • Non-traditional disciplines not taking advantage • QSRs say the same about use by institutions • Usage growth far outpacing user growth
Allocations STARTUP SURVEYS
Startup Surveys • Two surveys launched August 2008 • Getting Started • Survey link in notification sent by POPS when allocations awarded. • 34 completes • Using TeraGrid Experience • Survey link in notification sent by POPS when allocation about to expire or run out of funds. • 25 completes • Note that these are two different respondent pools.
Getting Started Experience (1) Why did you get a Startup? How hard was it to get started? • Prepare for larger-scale request • Small-scale need for single project • Ongoing need for small amount of time • Evaluate TeraGridfor our needs • Other • Easy and timely • Struggled a bit, could have been faster • Confusing and too slow • Had to ask for help to complete
Getting Started Experience (2) What are your plans? Describe your institution • Apply for larger-scale allocation • Renew small-scale allocation • Other • End TeraGrid use • Don’t know
Use of TeraGrid Experience (1) Did you accomplish your goals? What are your plans? • Renew this Startup • Apply for large-scale allocation • Not sure • Other
Allocations PROGRESS ON RAT RECOMMENDATIONS
Allocations RAT 2008 Summary • Formalize, adjust, and document the allocations processes and procedures. • Take steps to reduce the real and perceived barriers to entry for the allocations process. • Resolve and clarify various policies related to the integration and presentation of TeraGrid resources. • Improve communications about resources and allocations.
Recommendations Implemented • (2) Set resource availability context for TRAC deliberations • Last two meetings • (3) Broaden the TRAC membership selection process and clarify term limits • Kent actively recruiting • (4) Adopt formal COI policy for reviewers • Challenge in having enough reviewers with PI/coPI COI rule. • (5) Revise the method of selecting the Chair for a TRAC meeting • Last two meetings • (6) Formalize panel discussion procedures. • Last two meetings • (7) Formalize role of RP observers and clarify COI policies. • (10) Increase available resources granted to new startup awards, and rename “DAC” accounts to “Startup Allocations.” • Review process solidifying • (18) Work with existing and prospective users to ensure the preparation of high-quality resource requests at all levels (partial) • (20) Keep current posted allocations policies up to date • (21) Review and revise allocations documentation and applications.
Recommendations In Progress (1) • (1) Document and post TRAC policies and procedures • (8) Improve the transparency and documentation of decisions to balance oversubscribed resources • (13) Clarify information required for submitting “Science Gateway” or community resource requests and the criteria used to evaluate such requests. • (17) Distribute regular press releases and user news after TRAC meetings • (19) Expand communications of the availability of resources and associated training to new users, communities and institutions
Recommendations In Progress (2) • √ (9.1) Larger startups. • √ (9.2) Research/TRAC • “TRAC” name will appear for Dec-Jan submission period • √ (9.3) Adaptive thresholds • Using Startup limits as rough guidelines • At Dec TRAC, 4 handled this way. • √ (9.4) Larger advances • POPS adding ‘advance’ option formally for next submission period • √ (9.5) 2-week response to Supp, Just • √ (9.6) Shorter time between meeting and award creation
Recommendations To Be Addressed • (14) Adapt allocations policies to novel resource classes, including but not limited to storage and the Advanced Support Programs, to improve adoption by the user community • (15) TeraGrid Roaming policies should be reviewed, adapted, and made explicit. • (16) TeraGrid should centrally support the ability of RPs to initiate and monitor discretionary projects and allocations via POPS and Core Services.
POPS Updates and Plans (1) • Recommendation 9 (many subparts) directly addressed by POPS changes • Many nomenclature changes required, being implemented for Dec-Jan submission period. • Startup processing sped up dramatically • (9.1, 9.2) Implemented Startup/Education/Research requests. • (9.6) POPS-AMIE integration sped up creation of allocation awards by several weeks. • (9.4) POPS will explicitly support advances for next round of Research submissions.
POPS Updates and Plans (2) • (11) Improve, clarify, and simplify the interface for users to make proposal requests. • Next major change: POPS working to “pre-load” submission data for Renewals, Progress Reports, Supplements, Justifications • See other changes in the queue at http://www.teragridforum.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=POPS_Request_List • (12) Improve, clarify and simplify the TRAC resource request format • Will be targeted for March-April submission window.