The Access Grid and the Future of Distributed Collaboration

The Access Grid and the Future of Distributed Collaboration Rick Stevens Director, Mathematics and Computer Science Division Argonne National Laboratory Professor, Department of Computer Science The University of Chicago MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Our Research Goal Designing, building and evaluating the computing systems and visual environments to support creative collaborative problem solving and analysis for large-scale computational science applications. MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Workthink and Technology Trends • • • • • • Virtualization of organizations Merging of work/life/play/home/school Work as conversation/communication Dominance of new/multidisciplinary problems Dominance of consumer products/tech drivers Self-assembly of organizations What is the right infrastructure to support future work environments? MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Telecommunications Trends • Data traffic will exceed voice traffic in 3-5 years • Voice traffic will become an small fraction within 10 years • Bandwidth prices will eventually begin to follow Moore‟s law – 2X capability every 18 months • Telecos need to become distributed services companies – collaboration – management and control of infrastructure, factories etc. – grid services (distributed information and computing services) • Digital ecosystem within the global digital nervous system MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO How would life be different if travel was free and instantaneous ? MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Hmmm ? • • • • You Would Live Where You Want to You and Your Colleagues Would Meet in Interesting Places You Would Leave Your Things Where You Need or Use Them You Would Need to “Arrange” to Meet People in Certain Places at Certain Times • You Would Need Mechanisms to “Locate” People and Things • Security Might Be Problematic (See Tales of Known Space) • You Would Develop Habitual Hangout Places MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO The Need for Persistent Electronic Spaces Adding the concept of Persistent Electronic Spaces to the current suite of computer supported collaborative work tools can provide the virtual equivalent of instant and (almost) free travel. • Persistence Is Needed to Build Electronic Communities • Persistence Is Needed to Map the Real World to Virtual Environments • Persistence Is Needed to Lead Us Away From the Phone Call Model for Collaborations Towards the “Cafe” Model MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO The Alliance Vision for the Grid • Persistent, Universal and Ubiquitous Access to Networked Resources • Common Tools and Infrastructure for Building 21st Century Applications • Integrating HPC, Data Intensive Computing, Remote Visualization and Advanced Collaborations Technologies MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Colliding Galaxies (Smithsonian IMAX)-Donna Cox, Bob Patterson, NCSA-From “Cosmic Voyage”Nominated for Academy Award 1997 What Can You Do with One? • Link Realtime Satellite Data Feeds With Distributed Computational and Display Systems • Enable Schools Across the Country to Participate in Interactive Simulations and Data Analysis • Combine Dozens of Supercomputers to Solve a Single Problem • Interactively Combine the Output of Many Independent Servers to Analyze a New Genome • Build a Network of Immersive Virtual Reality Sites to Collaboratively Design a New Vehicle MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Our Goals for the Access Grid Project • Enable Compelling Group to Group Interactions at a Distance – Connecting the People and Teams of the Alliance • Improve the User Experience Beyond Teleconferencing – Provide a Sense of Presence – Support Natural Interaction Modalities • Use Quality but Affordable Digital IP Based Audio/video – Leverage IP Open Source Tools • Enable Complex Multisite Visual and Collaborative Experiences – Integrate With High-end Visualization Environments – ActiveMural, Powerwall, CAVE Family, Workbenches • Build on Integrated Grid Services Architecture – Develop New Tools Specifically Support Group Collaboration MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Access Grid at the Chautauquas Argonne NCSA U of Utah The Grid University of New Mexico University of Kentucky Boston University GA Tech UIC-EVL Alliance Access Center MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Access Grid is Beyond Desktop Teleconferencing • Physical Groupwork spaces – lighting, audio, video, screens • Virtual collaborative spaces – 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 • Debut at Chautauqua „99 in August and Sept. – Boston U, U Kentucky, and UNM – ACCESS, Argonne, NCSA, EVL, Utah (supporting sites) MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Access Grid Nodes Presenter mic Presenter camera Presenter mic Presenter camera Ambient mic (tabletop) Audience camera Ambient mic (tabletop) Audience camera • Access Grid Nodes Under Development – – – – Library, Workshop ActiveMural Room Office Auditorium MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO ActiveMural, Giant Display Wall • • Argonne, Princeton UIUC Collaboration 8‟ x 16‟ display wall – – Jenmar Visual Systems BlackScreen™ technology, > 10000 lumens 8 LCD  15 DLP  24 DLP – 8-20 MegaPixels MCS  FUTURESLAB p 448 9436T 029 p 4 4 7 (Mc Ma s te r) # 3 0 1 0 t2 7 p 2 6 2 (C e n tu ry) #5641 1 0 9 lb s /in / 2 4 lb s 8 2 lb s m a x L @ 5 0 lb s : 2 .8 in p 448 9436T 029 ARGONNE  CHICAGO Virtual Collaboration Spaces • Structure and organization supports intended use – activity dependent • secure channels for “private sessions” • broadcast channels for public meetings • Supports multiple interaction types (modalities) – text, audio, video, graphics, animation, VR • Can exploit strong spatial metaphor – interaction scoping – resource organization – navigation and discovery • Needed to escape the tyranny of the desktop MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO The Grid from a Services View Applications Chemistry Cosmology Biology Environment Nanotechnology Remote Visualization Applications Toolkit Problem Solving Applications Toolkit Remote Instrumentation Applications Toolkit Application Toolkits Distributed Computing Applications Toolkit DataIntensive Applications Toolkit Collaborative Applications Toolkit Grid Services (Middleware) Resource-independent and application-independent services : E.g., authentication, authorization, resource location, resource allocation, events, accounting, remote data access, information, policy, fault detection : Grid Fabric Resource-specific implementations of basic services E.g., Transport protocols, name servers, differentiated services, CPU schedulers, public key (Resources) infrastructure, site accounting, directory service, OS bypass MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Access Grid Prototype Node • Functional Capabilities – multiple video streams • cameras • capture/codex Sequencing, Scripting and Agenda Management Prototype AG Protocol Stack – multiple audio streams • microphones • speakers/sound cards • mixers/amps Goal and Objective Layer Collaboratory Services, Scope Management, Access Control Policies and Domain Management Layer Floor Control, Shared Applications Interface and Management Coordination and Accessibility Layer Aggregated Services, Stream Mixers, Resource Arbiters Aggregation or Resource Organization Layer Media Services, Stream Routers, Display Management Modality Mechanism Layer Networking, Computational and Display Device Services – large-format displays – computer platforms • Software Services – – – – display management collaboration software applications software framework management Device Services Layer MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Access Grid FY99 Accomplishments • • • • • AG Tutorials June 7-8th @ Argonne Multisite AG Testbed Operational June 14 – ANL, ACCESS-DC, UNM, UK, BU, Utah, EVL, NCSA AG Test Cruises/Nanocruises June 14-July 30 AG interfaces to “Grid Services Architecture” defined AG Toolkit v1.0 Functionality defined – – Multiscreen NT workstations, Multipipe SGIs ImmersaDesk “remote node only” functionality • • • Web site Operational (AG software, configs downloadable) AG Debut at Alliance Chautauqua‟s Initial AG Toolkit Version Planned for Late August Release MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO Towards Wide Area Teleimmersion • Merging of Virtual Reality, Collaboration Technology and Active Spaces VR Haptics VR Haptics MCS  FUTURESLAB VR Haptics ARGONNE  CHICAGO Questions? MCS  FUTURESLAB ARGONNE  CHICAGO