UK e-Research, Services and Portals (integrating components and interfaces)

1. VRE UK e-Research, Services and Portals(integrating components and interfaces) Rob Allan CCLRC e-Science Centre,,Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD, UK (with thanks to Rob Crouchley and Chuck Severance)

2. Summary Virtual Research Environment projects were funded by HEFCE/ JCSR in 2004. I will report on progress in a few of these developing and delivering services to diverse research communities. e-Research has many special requirements, such as using the National Grid Service resources (funded by JCSR in 2003), but many service are being found to overlap with digital information and e-Learning. This permits the exploration of common interfaces, in particular through portal frameworks such as Sakai. Joint work involving UK and US developers will be described.

3. The UK National Grid Service (JCSR+EPSRC)

4. NGS Core (JCSR)

5. HPCx Supercomputer Facility

6. NGS Applications

7. Deployment and Uptake Challenges To Service Providers: • Defining the Service – Computational and Data Services • Which Middleware? - Globus, OGSA, WSRF, EGEE/LCG? • Integrating Helpdesk Support – UK + Europe (EGEE) • Adding new sites -Service Level Descriptions, monitoring • Licensing – applications, particularly commercial ones • Security, firewalls etc. To Users: • Training and Awareness – what can it do for me? • Education - Getting people to use the “Grid” • Making it easier to use – better/easier client access for non-technical users • Creating new applications and expressing requirements – Grid “stretch”

8. The Grid “Client Problem” Many clients want to access a few Grid-enabled resources Grid Core Consumer clients: PC, TV, video, AG Middleware e.g. Globus Workplace: desktop clients Grid Core Portable clients: phones, laptop, pda, data entry…

9. Institutions need Autonomy and Security Host – client relationship Example solution suggested by Web server - browser Communication must be initiated by client because of firewall around client’s institution. Can use a proxy or gateway.

10. Usability and Human Factors • Growing recognition of the need to design a behaviourally appropriate interface to the Grid; • Rick Stevens’ Access Grid and work on human factors issues; • Lot of industrial knowledge here, ergonomics etc. needs to be built on; • Trust, ethics, security etc. – may make it impossible to re-use and analyse data • Usability Task Force is taking a lead (white paper and CfP - EPSRC); • Job of scientists already hard – need tools that do not make it harder!

11. Science of Collaboratories people-to-people Communication, Collaboration Services groups-to- information groups-to- facilities Distributed, media-rich information technology Digital libraries & documents Remote instruments http://www.scienceofcollaboratories.org/ NSF Funded ITR

12. So a Virtual Research Environment? Requirements: Easy to install Familiar interface Personalisable Work through firewalls Extensible functionality Persistent Pervasive Usable Secure

13. Why have a VRE ? “to make the use of e-Science technologies, methodologies and resources easier and more transparent for users than simply developing bespoke applications on a generic infrastructure toolkit (such as Globus GT2 or OGSI/WSRF).” We need to: • Bridge the gap between different types of technology (database management, computational methods, sensor Grids, networks, Condor resources, visualisation systems, collaborative working, Access Grid, etc.); • Provide an environment to enhance the programmability and usability of such a Grid by integrating work from a number of ongoing research projects; • Add value to the Grid by implementing a VRE on the JCSR clusters and resources at other e-Science Centres.

14. Some basic VRE Functions VRE must take care of many things behind the scenes: • Authentication and authorisation (Shibboleth and Permis in line with JISC proposals…); • Shared development of content by staff using content management and editing tools: • Access to middleware resources and documentation, • Access to training materials and resources, • Access to support, consultancy and other services • Access to Grid Services - user access via pre-defined tools and applications to the UK e-Science Grid; • Data access – e.g. using Storage Resource Broker; • Access to broadcasts – e.g. on the Access Grid network; • Management functions - for experts to maintain the system and deploy new applications.

15. Possible functionality/ content of a VRE

16. Common Service Component Framework

17. Similarity and Differences Traditionally, there are some differences • Locus of control • Existing versus emerging information • Fixed versus fluid agenda • Different tools in use VRE Physics Visualization Grid Computing Teaching Learning VRE Chemistry Repository IE Social Science QTI Scorm Attendance Annotation Chat Discussion Resources Shared Data

18. Personalising the Environment Choose from the set of service components available: • Move from a provider or institution focused set of capabilities to an environment where users “assemble” their environment to suit their needs. • System that maps to how I think and operate so that things are made easier for me. How do I bend this tool to suit the way that I work? Especially as my skills as a user improve. • Move bits around arrange the way you like. This is both things like my own folder arrangements and things like accessibility (i.e. how I want to “see” these things)

19. Challenge I: Integrating the People! • If people from different areas do not work together they develop their own independent solutions to what has been recognised as common problems. • It is not enough to show the service component diagrams. People need to cross the traditional “pillars” to share ideas about how services are defined, deployed and used. • Open Service Framework for Research and Education – working group debating the way forward. • VRE Programme is deploying shared tools: • Sakai portal “worksite” - http://collab.sakaiproject.org under “eResearch” • Wiki – http://www.grids.ac.uk/eResearch • JISCMail – eResearch@jiscmail.ac.uk

20. VRE Customers VRE “Experts” Danger of diverging “personal” Environments IE Customers IE “Experts” Collaborative VLE/VRE/IE Requirements Each expert group is often influenced by a different field of research: VLE’s are influenced by Educational Technology experts, VRE’s are often influenced by Computer Scientists, while IE’s are influenced by Library Sciences. When we treat Virtual Learning, Virtual Research, and Information Environments as different, we end up developing divergent environments which satisfy similar requirements in very different ways based on the experts who are funded to produce the VRE, VLE, or IE solutions. VLE “Experts” VLE Customers

21. View from the Users’ Perspective Customers Customers VRE “Experts” IE “Experts” Collaborative VLE/VRE Requirements As painful as it may be, the VRE, VLE, and IE experts must begin to coordinate so that some point in the future, users don’t have environments with completely different approaches to the same problem. VLE “Experts” Customers

22. The VRE needs to be more than a Web page Why should it be different? • Like the Web, persistent and pervasive, but: • It provides a managed environment, giving secure access to autonomous Grid services, providing resources, based on user requirements; • It uses diagnostic/ background data to orchestrate the material for each individual (via session management/ profiling services); • It will be specific to the needs of groups of scientists (virtual organisations), providing new routes to e-Science; • The technology will be easily extendable to include all new tools – and link to commercial software; • It could be an early adopter of new WSRF/ GT4 and portlet standards.

23. Someday the VRE will not be just available from a browser Better user experience Increased productivity More complex to build Difficult to keep up with changing technology a. pure html web page b. web page based, but with browser enhancements c. browser extension d. dedicated desktop network client e. extensible desktop application platform f. common desktop application

24. Options • Provide heavyweight functionality (Globus?), but only on Grid-enabled hosts; • Implied need for client-server software architecture, e.g.: • Web-based portal with familiar browser • Client programming library, API in C, C++ Java, Perl, Python, R etc. • Ability to link to existing applications/ GUIs – e.g. MATLAB • Command-based shell interface • Drag and Drop interface (a la Mac) • Need a published set of services on Grid hosts – OGSA model, registry, semantics; • Need easy development and deployment framework for applications and client tools, e.g. using Web services - encourage community contribution via an open process.

25. Challenge II: Grid-enable Services Need to Grid-enable data and other services, e.g. those supported by JISC: • RDN, Resource Discovery Network: http://www.rdn.ac.uk • See also Subject Portals Project: http://www.portal.ac.uk/spp • MIMAS, Manchester Information and Associated Serices: http://www.mimas.ac.uk • JORUM, JISC Online Repository for Learning and Teaching Materials: http://www.jorum.ac.uk • EDINA: http://www.edina.ac.uk • AHDS, Arts and Humanities Data Service: http://www.ahds.ac.uk • UK Data Archive: ESDS the Economic and Social Data Service http://www.data-archive.ac.uk • UKOLN: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk

26. Some UK Research Resources Existing resources need to be service enabled: • Access Grid Nodes (e-Science Centres); • Course Content (University and Training Institutions); • Condor pools of workstations (University and Teaching institutions); • Resource Discovery Network resources (JCIE) • AHDS (AHRB) and e-SS (ESRC) and related training and awareness material, e.g. REDRESS; • Directories: Z-Directory (UKOLN), Z39-50 target directory (Index Data), RSS-express (UKOLN), OAI Data providers (OAI), IESR (JISC) • Text mining service (BBSRC), Data Curation Centre and any other specific research resources funded in partnership with Research Councils; • Resources referenced in the JISC subject resources guides • Subject gateways; Data services; Learning and teaching; • Support services. • Tools referenced in JISC Collections publications list • National Grid Service nodes (JCSR). Supercomputing facilities such as HPCx, CSAR (managed by EPSRC): • Data Archive and MIMAS (ESRC); • Protein Data Bank (Hosted by Wellcome Foundation at EBI); • Large-scale facilities such as SRS, ISIS, Diamond (hosted at CCLRC) and associated scientific data collections; • LHC Data Grid (PPARC); • NERC Data Centres and CEH; • Telescopes, e.g. via eSTAR services (PPARC); • CURL libraries, British Library, National Museums, etc. • Others such as British Geological Survey, UK Met. Office, Hadley Centre.

27. Example I: Sakai VRE Demonstrator CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory with Universities of Lancaster, Oxford and Portsmouth • A range of tools for collaboration, data access and Grid computing • Available in a Web-based portal • Using the Sakai portal framework to integrate with Virtual Learning and group collaboration tools • But: focused on standards – JSR-168 Java portlet standard and Web Services for Remote Portlets, WSRP

28. Portal Technology We are currently exploring the “best of breed” 2nd generation portal –Sakai http://www.sakaiproject.org • Originated from U. Michigan (the CHEF project) with partners at U. Indiana, MIT, Stanford. • Mellon Foundation Funding with OKI standard interfaces • Rich set of Collaboration and Educational tools with templates for tool creation • We have proposed using this as a VRE “front end” by extending the framework to a Service Oriented Architecture • Evaluation exercise funded by JISC http://www.grids.ac.uk/Sakai/sakai_doc.pdf • Using in the ReDRESS project http://redress.lancs.ac.uk We will be: • Using technology: JSR-168 to create plug-in portlets • Using technology: WSRP to link to remote portlets and content • Using Grid and Web services for SOA including UDDI registry

29. http://www.sakaiproject.org

30. Extending the Portal Framework We proposed to extend the Java portlet-based frameworks in several areas: • Collaborative Research (Lancaster) • identity and group management • XML schema for collaborative session • Security (Oxford) • address extensible authentication and authorisation • to embrace Shibboleth and PERMIS technology • already looked at CAS, VOMS, GSI • Distributed services in SOA (Daresbury) • using Web/ Grid service technology • JSF interface generator • Linking to Peer-to-Peer technology (Portsmouth)

31. Example II: GROWL VRE Toolkit CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory with Universities of Cambridge and Lancaster • A C/ C++ library toolkit to link to “heritage” scientific applications and GUIs; • Use Grid resources and data from your apps! • Lightweight to install – uses Web service client; • No firewall problems, but functionality may be limited; • Access same underlying services as in portals, so enriches the user interface; • Could be replaced with a “drag-and-drop” interface, e.g. using QT on Linux.

32. Using the Grid from within a standard Application • GROWL: Grid Resources on Workstation Library; • Lightweight Web services based toolkit; • Provides and interface (wrappers) for C and R applications. R wrapper C client SOAP over HTTP Application C service

33. UI to “heritage” application via command line or GUI and programming library. JSR-168, WSRP Portlet Portlet Portlet Portlet SOAP, WSDL, UDDI Service Service Service Service Service Standard Protocols, Interfaces and Tools Essential to adopt agreed and de facto standards: • Standards-based portals: JSR-168, etc. • API standardisation but adding “integration API”; • Basic look and feel standardisation and accessibility: CSS; • Federating/ aggregating portals and tools - WSRP: user control over assembly of many sources; • Ability to write portable full-featured tools • Java • e.g. Swing • Eclipse • Flash MX

34. Contacts Me – Rob Allan: r.j.allan@dl.ac.uk VRE Programme Manager – Maia Dimitrova: m.dimitrova@jisc.ac.uk GOSC Director - Neil Geddes: n.i.geddes@rl.ac.uk NGS Grid Coordinator - Andrew Richards: a.j.richards@rl.ac.ukVRE Programme -http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=programme_vre Other Web sites - http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/escience http://www.grid-support.ac.uk http://www.ngs.ac.uk http://www.grids.ac.uk/ETF Helpdesk – E-mail: support@grid-support.ac.uk