Rob Allan Daresbury Laboratory A Web Portal for the National Grid Service Xiaobo Yang, Dharmesh Chohan, Xiao Dong Wang and Rob Allan CCLRC e-Science Centre, CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory Warrington WA4 4AD, UK

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

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 –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. Our chosen solution

Why a Portal Right functionality: Encapsulates Grid functionality Separation of front-end session management and presentation layers Model code layer at back-end using Globus C/ Java API or other middleware, e.g. SRB Right technology: Good support for portal developments – standards and tooling in Java Web services (Java, Perl, C, Python, PHP, etc.) Knowledge: Previous experience, we have been using Web portals to develop and test Grid functionality since 2000 HPCPortal, InfoPortal, DataPortal Based on work in the Global Grid Forum – Grid Computing Environments research group (GCE-RG)

Building on the Infrastructure Infrastructure (Globus etc.) Back end services (Globus wrappers etc.) Front end services (session management etc.) User layer (application, GUI, script, Portal, etc.) Web service, CGI, etc. Web service or close coupling Globus protocols Integrated e-Science Environment NGS Portal We are here

NGSPortal v1.0 NGSPortal 1.0 was based on OGCE v1.0: the Open Grid Computing Environment portal –Adopted in USA by NMI: the National Middleware Initiative – Used the CHEF framework (Comprehensive Collaborative Framework) from U. Michigan Some additional ideas taken from HPCPortal and InfoPortal NGSPortal tools available November 2004: –MyProxy management –GRAM job submission –FileTransfer based on GridFTP –MDS resource discovery Feedback at NeSC training event, December 2004

NGSPortal v1.0 file-transfer tool

Why change? Was always planned to migrate to Sakai along with OGCE v2.0 – –had letters of support from Brad Wheeler and Chuck Severance –JISC Sakai VRE Demonstrator funded But, OGCE is no longer using Sakai. Decided to deploy JSR-168 Java standard portlets to replace the CHEF teamlets GridSphere and uPortal frameworks now supported Many European projects have tried GridSphere We also therefore decided to use JSR-168 in NGSPortal v2.0 for complete portability and sharing with other projects such as Integrative Biology and e-HTPX GridSphere, uPortal, LifeRay, eXo Platform and StringBeans evaluated –workshop with Jason Novotny, NeSC, March 2005 –See separate paper StringBeans chosen because of its good level of support and flexibility of customisation

Single Sign-On Most feedback has been about SSO PKI infrastructure adopted as standard for middleware on UK Grid with a policy statement issued by CA to enable international collaborations – took a lot of effort! v1.0 was therefore intended to work with Globus using a MyProxy certificate repository for pervasive access Same as HPCPortal and an established Grid security procedure 1.Log into portal with username/ passwd 2.Retrieve proxy credential from MyProxy using possibly a different username/ passwd –MyProxy is maintained by the Grid Operations and Support Centre for all Grid users myproxy.grid-support.ac.uk But Widespread lack of awareness of Grid security issues Users not willing to make the effort to manage their own certificate Need more training?

2-step login method Simplified by using MyProxy as primary authentication via a CHEF service

NGSPortal v2.0 Using JSR-168 Chose StringBeans r2.4 – Portlets will also work in other environments, e.g. GridSphere –As demonstrated at NeSC workshop, March 2005 Single Web application for all portals enables shared session information, e.g. proxy credential Using JAAS architecture for MyProxy Login Module (SSO) –Map to local portal accounts –Still has a portal login for those who dont want to use Grid services

NGSPortal v2.0 Welcome!

Authentication in NGSPortal v2.0

Inter-portlet Communication using JMS Need more integration of portal services –an integration API But, having all portlets in one Web application is not satisfactory –Configuration and management problems –Hard to distribute via a portlet repository Inter-portlet communication is provided in commercial portal frameworks, e.g. WebSphere –Extensions to JSR-168 JMS is used for the BatchJobMonitor portlet. –A finishing job sends a JMS message to a server –BatchJobMonitor can consume this message to get the job status –Can also provide notification

BatchJobMonitor portlet

Other Features of J2EE Architecture Current development is being doing using J2EE architectural features hosted in JBOSS JAAS and JMS are already part of J2EE and being used as described EJB: Enterprise Java Beans enables further factoring of a multi-tier server-centric application such as a portal. –EJBs can be automatically exposed as Web services This will enable NGSPortal services to be accessible from other client environments –e.g. GROWL and Sakai – see separate papers WSRP is being investigated to enable projects to use NGS portlets directly in their own portal frameworks –But GridSphere does not have a WSRP consumer ongoing discussion with Jason Novotny –Sakai? similar discussion with Chuck Severance

Re-factoring using J2EE Architecture Business Logic Enterprise JavaBeans Web Service Interfaces JSR 168 Portlets Proxy Manager Job Submission File Transfer GridFTP/SRB LDAP Browser Sakai Framework Portal JSR 168 Compliant UDDI Registry EJB Internal Comm Accessing EJBsWeb Service Registry Accessing Web Services

Future Work The current architecture is being re-factored as above Other portlets are being developed by popular demand, e.g. an SRB portlet Further integration of the portlets is taking place, e.g. using SRB together with GridFTP or closely coupled with the JobManager portlet Application-specific portlets such as DL_POLY Cloning of portlets for other projects such as Integrative Biology Portlet registry - jUDDI Workflow – WOSE project Chargeable services – GridMarkets project WSRP for aggregation of remote services and provision of NGS portlets to projects own portals WSRP export of portlets for Sakai VRE Demonstrator project * See other papers at this conference * Talk to us!

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