Resource Center Reference
Resources Integration
IGALC currently supports sites running gLite and OurGrid middleware. Site administrators are welcome to try other middlewares, and IGALC will do its best to support them, but these two are the ones in which our teams have experience.gLite introduction from the gLite website
“The gLite middleware was produced by the EGEE project and it is currently being developed by the EMI project. In addition to code developed within the project, the gLite distribution pulls together contributions from many other projects, including LCG and VDT. The distribution model is to construct different services ('node-types') from these components and then ensure easy installation and configuration on the chosen platforms (currently Scientific Linux versions 4 and 5, and also Debian 4 for the WNs).gLite middleware is currently deployed on hundreds of sites of different DCIs and enables global science in a number of disciplines, notably serving the LCG project.”
OurGrid introduction from the OurGrid website
“OurGrid enables the creation of peer-to-peer computational grids, and since its first release, in December 2004, it has been used by hundreds of users to speed up the execution of Bag-of-Tasks applications - those parallel applications whose tasks (the parts that run on a single CPU) do not communicate among themselves during execution. These include parameter sweep simulations, rendering of images, optimization algorithms, and many others. In the peer-to-peer grids enabled by OurGrid, computing and storage resources originated from spare resources (idle CPUs and free disk space), are provided by a whole community of grid participants, and are shared in such a way as to make those who have contributed the most to get the most out of the grid whenever they need it. The software is written in Java, allowing any resource capable of running a Java Virtual Machine to be tapped on to the grid.”The following table aims at providing some basic information concerning gLite and OurGrid. It should help site administrators that are new to grid to choose what they want for their sites. The ‘features’ list is intentionally brief. Further inquiries should be directed to IGALC contacts.
| gLite | OurGrid | |
| Deployment/Maintenance | more complex | less complex |
| Usage | more complex | less complex |
| Runnable applications | bag-of-tasks, MPI, workflows, VRC portal, HEP | bag of tasks |
| Overhead (number of required dedicated hosts for management services) | 3 | 1 |
| Possibility to federate resources with | WLCG, enmr, BIOMED, GISELA project VO, EGI | Ourgrid community, Sharegrid |
| Data storage service | Yes | No |
| OS requirements | Scientific Linux | 5 (x64)none |
| Hardware requirements | 64-bit capable hardware | none |
Once a site administrator decides which middleware to deploy, he/she should refer to the gLite integration procedure or to the OurGrid integration procedure.