1. How to Produce an Access Grid Event Jennifer Teig von Hoffman Boston University & National Computational Science Alliance

2. Objectives Types of AG events How to prepare for events Staffing recommendations We’ve got a lot to cover, so please hold questions until the end of each section I’ll ask for questions by show of hands

3. Primary Reference Access Grid-in-a-box tutorial, “How to Produce an Access Grid Event: An Elementary Guide for Technical Users”... Which in turn refers to presentations by Lisa Childers of Argonne National Laboratory, Russ Wolf of Boston University, and myself

4. An Ongoing Process Today’s seminar will introduce you to general concepts, giving you a good starting place for planning events As technology changes, best practices in planning change 1999 -> the present -> the future

5. Introductions Please wave when I say “hello” to your site

6. Types of Access Grid Events How “Real Life” Events Translate into Life on the Access Grid

7. What is an AG Event? Any occasion for which people get together over the AG Each AG event takes place in a Virtual Venue Virtual Venue = virtual conference room Every event should have a Virtual Venue reservation (can be made last-minute)

8. Some Events Are More Complicated Than Others Not complicated: Staff meeting Chatting with friends and family Complicated: Multi-site collaboration using virtual environments International conference

9. Two General Categories AG events are often spoken of as “formal” or “informal” In this context, “formal” and “informal” describe types of interactions more than they do apparel, etiquette, or language These categories and related guidelines are general – you’ll develop your own strategies for each specific event

10. What is a Formal Event? For these purposes, we’ll define a formal event as “an event which requires structured planning” The opposite: An event which requires little if any planning

11. Examples of Formal Events SC Global PACS Training Workshops Virtual Conference on Genomics and Bioinformatics) Demonstration for Governor of Illinois

12. Examples of Informal Events Planning meeting with Mary and Ariella U. Australia management meetings SC Global planning meetings First Annual Access Grid Symposium on Beerology

13. Is Your Event Formal? The answer may be obvious, based on the content of the event Otherwise, consider: Tolerance for interruptions Visibility and potential consequences of failure Level of technical risk

14. Can Your Event Tolerate Interruptions? Ask yourself: could you pause for: Audio adjustments? Loading presentation files? Other unforeseen circumstances? The larger the number of participating sites, the higher the likelihood of interruptions If interruptions would be a problem, consider your event formal

15. How Visible is Your Event? Who’s expected to attend? Will success or failure be an important matter? When the event is high-visibility, consider it formal Demonstrations for VIPs Site visits Events for the press

16. How Technically Risky Is Your Event? Many factors may create technical risk New node installations New technology New node operators Technical risk should be considered along with other factors If it’s risky but not high-visibility, it’s probably informal

17. Be Minimalist When You Can Unnecessarily rigid or excessive preparation plans can discourage participating sites It is good for the health of the AG community for us to reduce event preparation time as much as possible without sacrificing quality

18. Questions?

19. How to Prepare for Events Developing Appropriate Preparation Strategies, With a Focus on Formal Events

20. You Need a Good Foundation A well-functioning AG node requires (at a minimum): Stable, fully debugged multicast networking (which must be monitored over time) The latest release of Access Grid Toolkit software All hardware and software consistent with the AG equipment specification Technical staff with sufficient time available to keep their skills current and the node well- maintained

21. Make It So You must ensure that your technical staff have access to all the resources they need to make this happen

22. A Key Assumption In the slides that follow, I will assume that your node is well-functioning and your technical staff have intermediate or advanced AG skills If this is not the case, your event- planning strategy must bring it about Big events are often good proving grounds Get feedback on plans from seasoned staff

23. Time Zones are Important Always explicitly include time zones in all event announcements, agendas, etc When planning an event which is open to the whole community, consider international time zone issues You may wish to repeat a lecture or workshop to attract participants in additional time zones

24. If Your Event Is Informal... Just reserve a room and show up Node operators may want to arrive 5-10 minutes early Work with your node operator on technical issues as you go along Presentation files Audio adjustments Camera adjustments

25. Planning Informal Events: Ensure that node operators are available You may wish to learn to operate your node yourself Ensure that AG nodes are available Recognize that it’s normal for technical adjustments to occur from time to time

26. Self-serve AG Events Sometimes your node operator might start up the node, get the event started, give you their cell phone number, and let you manage the rest of the event yourself

27. Example: AG Packaging Initiative Team Before each meeting, Lisa Childers reserves a (virtual) room, and sends out an announcement of the time and place She always includes the time zone – very important! Everybody just shows up

28. If Your Event Is Formal... Amount of necessary preparation varies widely Some is prep you need to do anyway Developing and finalizing agendas Coordinating with presenters For your first event, err on the side of caution

29. Preparing for a Formal Event Get the lay of the land Organize event information Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse Test cruises Content rehearsals Arrive early on event day

30. Get the Lay of the Land Determine how much lead time you have Determine approximate number of presenters, participants, and participating sites Develop a draft agenda Meet immediately with your technical team leader to discuss all of the above

31. Organize Event Information Develop a detailed agenda, in close collaboration with your technical team leader Order of speakers Physical location of speakers List of all participating sites Links to all presentation files All other relevant technical information

32. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse The bigger and more formal the event, the more rehearsals you need Two types of rehearsal: Test cruise: technical staff test and troubleshoot all relevant technologies Content rehearsal: presenters and/or masters of ceremony rehearse their presentations, or have a “dry run”

33. Test Cruises In close collaboration with your technical team leader Objective: ensure that all sites have well- debugged nodes and network To determine how many to hold, ask yourself: How many participating sites do you have? How many of those sites have brand-new nodes? How many new or unusual technologies will be in use?

34. What to Test in the Cruises All technologies which may be used in the actual event Standard AG audio, video, and MOO Distributed PowerPoint? (use actual slides, when possible) Telephone backup channel? Distributed VR?

35. Content Rehearsals To determine how many to hold, and whose attendance to require or request, ask yourself: Have these presenters spoken over the AG before? Will they facilitate complicated interactions?

36. Arrive Early on Event Day Technical staff should arrive at the appropriate virtual venue 30-60 minutes before the event begins If participants will be arriving in the node’s physical space early, you and your staff may need to arrive even earlier Ideally, presenters should participate in final audio tests

37. Example: SC Global A component of Supercomputing 2001 (Denver, 11/01) Volunteer planning committee, representing many organizations Dancing Beyond Boundaries, Presented by U. of Florida As Viewed from University of Manchester, United Kingdom

38. An Unprecedented Event Very formal, high-visibility, and technically-risky 40+ participating sites, some contributing content, some just “lurking” 100+ participants at many locations Four days of content, often in four or more concurrent tracks

39. Unprecedented Preparations Application process winter/spring 2001 Test cruises twice a week, July – November 2001 Production Institute, September 2001 Production-oriented training for staff at all sites contributing content Mega-cruise, October 8 Dry runs of (most) all content

40. Recommended Reading: Another Example Report on March 28 & 29, 2001, MPI Workshop over the Access Grid, Leslie Southern, Ohio Supercomputer Center, April 2001 I’ll list the URL at the end of these slides Excellent overview of preparation for and evaluation of the event

41. Questions?

42. Staffing Recommendations Roles and Responsibilities

43. Again, General Guidelines We’ll discuss one way to divide up the labor – again, your mileage may vary When you design your own staffing plans, keep in mind: The strengths and weaknesses of the people on your team The needs of your particular event

44. Each Site Has Its Own Staff Each site participating in a given event is responsible for developing their own staffing plan, and filling the roles appropriately You may wish to work with representatives of each site on their staffing plans

45. Each Venue Is Different The size of your physical venue plays a large part in determining the size of your staff

46. Staff for an Informal Event At the main site: Meeting leader (ie, meeting chair) Node operator At all other sites: Node operator

47. Staff for a Formal Event: Main Site Producer of overall event Usually also acts as local Producer too Technical Director Usually also operates node in some capacity Floor Manager Additional node operators/assistants

48. Staff for a Formal Event: Remote Sites Producer Technical Director Floor Manager Additional node operators/assistants

49. Producer’s Responsibilities: Main Site Manage entire team Locally and for the overall event In collaboration with the Technical Director, develop technical web page for event discussed earlier in this seminar Also known as Production Plan or Technical Agenda Determine how/when it is appropriate to deviate from the agenda

50. Producer’s Responsibilities: Remote Sites Manage and support local team Ensure that video and audio streams from local site meet main site’s needs In many events, Producer and Technical Director merge into one role at remote sites

51. Technical Director’s Responsibilities: Main Site Provide technical leadership and guidance to the entire team Locally and for the whole event Collaborate closely with the Producer Test cruise and content rehearsal strategy and implementation Technical web page

52. More Technical Director Responsibilities: Main Site Collect and place online all required presentation files Ensuring arrangements are made for any necessary technical contingency plans Back-up public channel telephone line

53. Technical Director Responsibilities: Remote Sites Provide technical leadership and guidance to local team In many events, Producer and Technical Director merge into one role at remote sites And as often as not, remote sites with small audiences can operate with a one- person team

54. Master of Ceremonies’ Responsibilities Introduce presenters and, with Floor Manager’s help, keep them on schedule Manage audience in case of any disruptions to event May give brief explanation of any pauses May use opportunity to share anecdotes Manages flow of questions “Passing the Floor”

55. Floor Manager’s Responsibilities Ensure all presenters arrive at the podium on time Keep track of time, and let MC know if presenters need to be nudged along May communicate with presenters using cue cards “5 Minutes Left,” “Time’s Up”

56. Other Operators/Assistants Responsibilities Additional Operators/Assistants are often needed in large venues or high- pressure situations Sometimes all of these things need to be done at the same time

57. Manage Audio Ensure that local audience can hear all necessary audio Ensure quality of outgoing audio Audio needs special attention during interactive portions of events Question and answer sessions Discussion

58. Manage Main Display Wall Ensure that participants can see all participating sites Enlarge video windows as appropriate, such as video of main speaker Ensure that all other necessary components are displayed PPT, VNC, etc

59. Manage Outgoing Video Monitor using vic on display machine or additional computer SC Global used “producer stations” Make camera adjustments, usually with remote control Video also needs special attention during interactive portions of events

60. Manage Microphones Ensure all speakers have appropriate access to microphones Presenters Masters of Ceremony Participants asking questions Ensure that microphones are used correctly throughout event

61. Manage Presenter Tools Ensure presentation tools on the laptop podium run successfully Distributed PowerPoint master? VNC? WinTV? Scan converter?

62. Event Communications for All Staff Use the MOO, the official Access Grid back-channel Communicate among staff at all participating sites Communicate among staff at local site Use optional telephone back-channel Use optional headset radios within the room

63. Questions?

64. A Final Example: Planning This Seminar Series A somewhat experimental model for events of this size – I’m hoping it has been successful

65. No Test Cruises or Rehearsals Instead, all sites were required to arrive 60 minutes early Participants were responsible for ensuring their node was available and well- functioning If I had been concerned about any participating nodes, I could have contacted them to arrange a test cruise

66. Factors I Considered Mary, Ariella, and I are experienced AG presenters and operators We did not plan to use any new or unusual technologies BU and ANL nodes are well-functioning, and frequently used I believed we could tolerate brief pauses if necessary

67. Further Reading... Access Grid-in-a-Box web-based tutorial: “How to Produce an Access Grid Event” http://webct.ncsa.uiuc.edu:8900/public/AGIB/ More thorough treatment of nearly every topic covered in this seminar Highly recommended for anybody planning AG events on a regular basis, or anybody planning a large, high-visibility event

68. Further Reading... Report on PACS Training MPI Workshop http://alliance.osc.edu/mpi/report.pdf Access Grid Documentation Project http://www.accessgrid.org/agdp/ A project by and for the Access Grid Community As you gain expertise and confidence, please consider writing documents to submit to the AGDP

69. Questions?

70. We Need Your Feedback http://scv.bu.edu/accessgrid/seminars/ eval.html Let us know if you’re interested in leading other seminars too!

71. Thank You Everyone