1. Computing services for the Traveling Physicist Alberto Pace CERN – Information Technology Division

2. Problem people encounters u Despite the internet facilitates user to user communication, people still travel. u this will not change u When people travel, they expect to be able to access computing services, at various level u Competing / incompatible authentication mechanisms force physicists to have multiple identities

3. Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (1/3) u A wide range of scenarios … u Cern staff traveling u to a HEP lab where high network bandwidth his available u to a place where high network bandwidth his NOT available (ex Hotel room) u with his computer and requiring Network access only u without computer and requiring computing services at the remote HEP site u HEP Physicist coming to CERN u with his computer and requiring internet access only u without computer and requiring to use CERN computing services

4. Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (2/3) u … and a wide range of expectations … u CERN staff at remote HEP site willing to use computing services at the local HEP site (maybe using their CERN computer) u CERN staff at remote HEP site willing to use computing services located at CERN (ex: mail, file access) u HEP Physicist coming to CERN willing to use CERN services (ex: printing, network, file access) u HEP Physicist coming to CERN willing to use computing services at his home institute (ex: mail, vpn, web, …)

5. Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (3/3) u … at the highest possible bandwidth u Use local network if available (wired or wireless) u … otherwise, use a modem line u … otherwise, use a GSM phone (GSM Data, hsdsc, GPRS, …)

6. Situation at CERN Part 1 - HEP Physicist coming to CERN

7. HEP Physicist coming to CERN u Without computer u A certain number of public computers (PCs) are available at the User office or in buliding 513 u Both Windows and Linux OS available u All machines have internet access u In addition the physicist can use any of the 6000+ computers available on the CERN network u Pre requisites u Unauthenticated “guest” access is limited to public PCs and basically offers only Web browsing and SSH connectivity to remote computers u Every CERN-User can have accounts in the CERN central computing services to use the full potential of the CERN computing facilities. This is the recommended procedure.

8. HEP Physicist coming to CERN u With his own computer u Network sockets available in all conference rooms and in some public places (RJ-45 connector) u Plug and Play with DHCP service. The visitor computer receives an IP address valid to access the internet but also the CERN Intranet u In some conference rooms, Wireless 802.11 network is available on three standard central European channels u Ok for North American, Swiss, German and British hardware. 33 % probability not ok for French Hardware u Currently, no hardware registration necessary. u In some conference rooms, Telephone lines for modems are also availablewith RJ-11 connectors

9. CERN Computing Services for HEP Visitors u To everybody (unregistered) u TCP/IP access to the internet (and therefore Web and services at his remote site) u Access to the intranet (may change in the future) u Access to printers u To registered users (can logon on central services) u All CERN computing services are available. Including Mail, Web, File access, Web hosting, Interactive Unix services, user support, etc. u User support is reduced if the user access the CERN computing services using his own computer,

10. Situation at CERN Part 2 – CERN staff traveling

11. CERN Staff traveling u Without computer u He is supposed to somehow find a computer with at least a browser and / or other software (see below) u Computing Services available from CERN u Remote user with Web browser: u Access to Mail (new service), Access to Web (public part), Access to Web folders u Remote user with SSH client u Interactive Alphanumeric access to PLUS (Public Unix Services) services u Remote user with X-server client u Fully Interactive access to PLUS u Remote user with terminal Access client u (foreseen) Access to Public Windows Terminal services u Remote user with AFS client u Access to AFS file space u Remote user with VPN client u Access to the CERN intranet and all its computing services

12. CERN Staff traveling u With computer u They need a connection to the Internet u How to connect to the Internet ? u Ethernet Socket available at the remote location u Wireless service available at the remote location u Phone line connection available at the remote location u GSM network available at the remote location u Work offline

13. CERN Staff traveling u With computer and high speed internet connection u Using the VPN they can use ALL CERN services as if they where at CERN u With computer and low speed internet connection u In theory they can have all services, provide they wait enough time (and can afford communication cost). u In practice, they have to learn how to work offline/online and transfer minimal amount of information u Mail, with cached mailbox content u Web, with cached web sites and minimal document transmission u File Access, with cached offline files u With no network access u Lot of work still possible while in offline mode. u Access to local applications, Mail, offline Web site and cached offline file systems

14. Summary and Conclusions

15. Trends u The model of the businessman traveling with his own computer is entering in the HEP mode of working u Physicist travels more and more with own computers (paperless office) u This model gives access to all services (if the network is available) and is the direction where commercial products are available u Public services for unregistered users may not continue indefinetively for security reasons

16. Future u We see more and more demands for “global services” u Example: u CERN Web services host 1300 official web sites, a large fraction of which has a HEP scope u CERN Mail Services host 15000 mailboxes. CERN Staff accounts for 2700. Many mailboxes are used by HEP people u CERN Mailing lists is also a HEP-Wide services HEP-Wide computing services

17. Prerequisites u Global Network u We have the internet. But Firewalls don’t help u Global Authentication u We do not have it yet, but the problem is not only technical u If we cannot have it, we could do automatic identity mapping (same username / password everywhere) u Grid application will require global authentication u At CERN we could allow / simplify registration of external users … or … use external (commercial) global authentication mechanisms

18. Conclusion u CERN Computing Services that are “Global” ready for the traveling physicists u Mail u Web (including authoring) u Mailing lists u Lxplus, Lxbatch u … u CERN Computing Services that could be made “Global” u Windows services (but license problem)