1. Ian Bird LCG Project - CERN HEPiX - FNAL 25-Oct-2002
LCG and HEPiX
Ian Bird
LCG Project - CERN
HEPiX - FNAL
25-Oct-2002

2. Why is it relevant to HEPiX?
What is LCG?
Why is it relevant to HEPiX?

3. LCG Project Goals
Goal – Prepare and deploy the LHC computing environment
applications - tools, frameworks, environment, persistency
computing system  global grid service
cluster  automated fabric
collaborating computer centres  grid
CERN-centric analysis  global analysis environment
central role of data challenges
This is not another grid technology project – it is a grid deployment project

4. LCG Level 1 Milestones proposed to LHCC
M1.1 - June 03
First Global Grid Service (LCG-1) available
M1.2 - June 03
Hybrid Event Store (Persistency Framework) available for general users
M1.3a - November 03
LCG-1 reliability and performance targets achieved
M1.3b - November 03
Distributed batch production using grid services
M1.4 - May 04
Distributed end-user interactive analysis from “Tier 3” centre
M1.5 - December 04
“50% prototype” (LCG-3) available
M1.6 - March 05
Full Persistency Framework
M1.7 - June 05
LHC Global Grid TDR

5. LCG and its interactions
Experiments
Grid Projects
HEPCAL
PPDG
GTA
Common Applications
Deployment
Fabric
iVDGL
(VDT)
GriPhyN
Globus
GLUE
EDG
NorduGrid
GDB
AliEn
Regional Centres
CERN

6. Multi-dimensional problem
Regional Centres:
Host one or more experiments
Different RC’s deploy different grid middleware in existing testbeds
Have different operational and security policies
Experiments:
Use middleware from various grid projects
Run at many regional centres
Provide applications that rely on specific middleware
Grid projects:
Provide middleware – that does not often (yet) interoperate
Starting to collaborate on common solutions and interoperability
 The Deployment area of LCG ties these all together

7. Grid Deployment – goals of LCG-1
Production service for Data Challenges in 2H03 & 2004
Focused on batch production work
Experience in close collaboration between the Regional Centres
Should have wide enough participation to understand the issues, but not too many initially
Learn how to maintain and operate a global grid
Focus on a production-quality service and all that implies
Robustness, fault-tolerance, predictability, and supportability take precedence over functionality
But – minimum functionality to be of value
This requires:
a middleware support group with integration, certification, testing, packaging etc. responsibilities
A support structure
LCG should be integrated into the sites’ physics computing services – should not be something apart
This requires coordination between participating sites in:
Policies and collaborative agreements
Resource planning and scheduling
Operations
Support

8. What might LCG-1 look like?
User’s perspective: - requires
Functionality adequate to provide advantage over not using distributed model
Straightforward to use –
Well defined services
Advice on how to use the system
Help with problems
Failures should be understandable
Ability to determine status of jobs and data
Sites’ perspective:
Integrated into computer centre/IT (inc. security) infrastructures
Able to support service
Able to allocate and manage resources – local autonomy where needed
Overall service perspective:
Performance and problem monitoring
Accounting
Etc.

9. Requires agreements, collaboration, and coordination
LCG has to build the “virtual computer centre” (= LHC computing environment)
With all that is expected from a production service
User support
Operations group
“Account” management
Security
Fabric management
Etc..
Except this is now distributed across many countries and continents
Requires agreements, collaboration, and coordination
At all levels: management, system managers, user support, etc.

10. Grid Operations Centre
queries
monitoring & alarms
corrective actions
User
Local site
Local user support
Local operation
Call Centre
Grid Operations Centre
Grid
information
service
Grid operations
Grid
logging &
bookkeeping
Virtual
Organisation
Network
Operations
Centre

11. Deployment Summary
Deploy middleware to support essential functionality, but goal is to evolve and incrementally add functionality
Added value is to robustify, support and make into a 24x7 production service
How?
Certification & test procedure – tight feedback to developers
must develop support agreements with grid projects to ensure this
Define missing functionality – require from providers
Provide documentation and training
Provide missing operational services
Provide a 24x7 Operations and Call Centre
Guarantee to respond
Single point of contact for a user
Make software easy to install – facilitate new centres joining

12. LCG Strategy Develop as little as possible
Use existing middleware, tools and software
Pressure developers to provide missing functionality
Negotiate support agreements
Leverage existing experience
Various data grid projects and testbeds
Teragrid, interoperability demonstrations, GGF – production grids area
Actively encourage collaboration and coordination

13. Grid Deployment Teams – the plan
suppliers’ integration
teams provide
tested releases
common
applications s/w
Trillium - US grid
middleware
DataGrid
middleware
HEPiX
interests
certification, build
& distribution
LCG infrastructure
coordination
& operation
user support
grid operation
LCG
call centre …
fabric operation
regional centre A
fabric operation
regional centre B
fabric operation
regional centre X
fabric operation
regional centre Y

14. Coordination & Collaboration
There are many opportunities for common solutions, which should be actively pursued
HICB – JTB, existing & proposed new collaborative activities
GLUE
Schema definitions & interoperability work
Validation and Test Suites
Distribution and Meta-Packaging
Interoperable distribution and configuration utilities identified as a definite need by all the recent trans-Atlantic demonstration and validation work.
Support for this group comes from:
LCG, EDG, EDT, Trillium, DataTAG
Security czars
Already talking to address grid issues
GGF
Production grids
AAA
Etc.
LCG – grid deployment board, etc.

15. Summary of Issues that might be addressed by HEPiX/LCCWS
I know many of these are discussed by a plethora of grid projects and offshoots, but remember, more than ever before we all have to work together coherently to make a grid work:
Grid operations centre: Teragrid, iVDGL
User support –
distributed helpdesk/call centre: iVDGL, Teragrid, Nordic grid collabs, GGF production grids area
Helpdesk tools
Certification process for operating environments
Upgrade procedures
Configuration management
Joint OS version certification
Packaging, installation – inc applications
User management
Security etc.
Fabric management (see LCCWS)
Etc.

16. Proposal HEPiX is already (a lot of) the right people
Already, or soon to be, deploying LCG and other grids in their computer centres
Keep LCCWS associated with HEPiX
Add a Grid Coordination/LCG interest group – like HEPNT or Storage
To address themes and issues of common interest
Encourage new people to attend
Line up specific talks by selected people to address issues and to propose activities to follow on
We need to solve the problems – not just talk about them
Needs a coordinator & agenda to make sure this happens –
Volunteers?