Research Computing News May 29, 2007

May 1, 2007 New RC System Administrator: Paul Mezzanini, formerly sys admin for the CE department, will be working full time for Research Computing, supporting all new RC systems as well as helping enhance current ones. Welcome Paul!

RC Computing Systems

  • Research Data Design Team--Call for Volunteers to develop recommendations for a campus wide approach to handling research data. Email gurcharan khanna
  • New SMP computer system for large memory and large data interactive and single-threaded jobs coming soon.
  • RC Cluster (47 nodes): Condor installed for testing. IDL/ENVI and MODTRAN installed. Matlab, Mathematica available for testing.
  • RC Gcluster (5 nodes): Grid computer testing remote job execution with U. Albany, others, as part of NYSGrid.
  • Condor Pool in CIS expanding to Mac labs.

    RC Collaboration Technologies

  • Kids on the Grid--Take Your Daughters & Sons To Work Day--across the Access Grid.
  • AG node status: more than 50% complete with two CASCI and one CIS node almost done.
  • NTID project to evaluate highly directional HyperSonic Speakers
  • NTID discussions to connect LBJ, other NTID sites with CASCI via Access Grid
  • RC Interactive Collaboration Environments Lab

    RC Communications

  • RC Quarterly Meeting Mar 21, 2007 (topic: Campus Grids)
  • RC Advisory Board RCAB Meeting on May 1, 2007
  • RC Seminar Series
      12 part year long series concluded Spring quarter with Paul Avery (UF) speaking on The Open Science Grid in the Wallace Library's Idea Factory space. Talks were held mostly in the CASCI lab area and recent ones were broadcast over the Access Grid for two way interaction. see photos

  • Access Grid Virtual Seminars (see recent events):
      Over 20 Access Grid events (not including demos) were hosted in CASCI, CIS, IT Collaboratory, and the Wallace Library during 2006-2007. These included seminars, art performances, NSF briefings, workshops, and outreach. Remote sites included ACCESS in Washington, D.C., U. Utah, U. Maryland, U. Minnesota, Los Alamos National Labs, NIH, U. Portugal, U. Manchester (UK), U. Kentucky, U. Albany, Mexico, NSF, Ohio State, NCSA, BU, and TeraGrid.
  • RC Lunches held every two of weeks; contact me to get on list.

    RC External Activities

  • Internet2 Meeting in D.C. April 23-25, 2007
    • Collaboration SIG
    • High Def Video for Distance Learning Classes, Internet2 and NLR Merger, Virtual Worlds for Education, Collaboration in Emerging Networks, and more.
  • Access Grid Retreat, Chicago, IL May 14-16, 2007

  • Upcoming meetings:

    • June 4-8 TeraGrid, Madison, WI June 4-8
    • June 18-19 NYSGrid Workshop (to be held in Albany area)