SC Global

Jennifer Teig von HoffmanBoston University

Chair, SC Global 2003www.scglobal.org

SC Global 2003

• What is SC Global?• Types of participating sites• Technology infrastructure

What is SC Global?

• A component of the SC03 Technical Program which takes place on the AG

• A premier showcase for the discussion and use of advanced collaborative technologies

• So far, the biggest and most complicated AG event there is

• An annual event (’01, ’03, ’04 so far)

SC Global 2001, as viewed in China

SC Global 2003 Program

• Full integration with SC03 Technical Program, with a focus on collaborative technologies and grids

• Topics addressed include– Collaborative virtual design in

engineering– AG use in underserved and

emerging communities– Quality of experience in advanced

collaborative environments– Collaborative visualization in artistic

and scientific contexts

Varieties of Participating Sites

• Constellation Site: – Contributes content to SCG program– Selected through content proposal

process

• Satellite Site: – Provides audience interaction– Selected through application and

certification process

• Observer Site:– Passive viewing– Open to all; no application or certification

required

Satellite Site Registration

• You’ve got your browser open anyway, why not do it right now?

• http://www.fz-juelich.de/scglobal/scg03/sat.html

• Satellite Sites will be required to participate in a small number of test cruises, and may optionally participate in more

• Constellation Sites do not need to register as Satellite Sites

Technology

• We are proud to be a showcase of AG 2.x, and perhaps the first major event to be based on it– And we are well aware of the

challenges of doing this so soon after the 2.1 release!

• We hope to freeze here at 2.1.1b, but reserve the right to strongly encourage installation of future releases if necessary for bug fixes

Technical Infrastructure Plan

• Developed and being implemented by Mike Daw, University of Manchester, SC Global Technical Director

• Globally distributed venue and bridging infrastructure

• Specialized tools and services

Technical Partners

• ANL: Support of SCG requirements in AG 2.x

• inSORS: Node Equipment and Management

• inSORS and Internet2: Recording and playback services

• Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre: QuickBridge and Observer Reflector

Question Tool

• The problem: Managing questions from 50+ sites can be a drag

• The solution: A web-based tool for managing questions from non-Phoenix sites, soon to be available as an AG 2.x shared application– Developed by University of

Manchester

Observer Site Reflector

• The problem: We want everybody to be able to tune in, but we don’t want unknown and untested sites sending potentially bad audio and/or video.

• The solution: A special venue where people can watch the event but are not permitted to transmit into the main event venue.– First used at SC Global 2001– Re-engineered by EPCC and U

Manchester

Multiple, Distributed QuickBridges

• The problem: A single venue server or network bridge is a single point of failure.

• The solution: AG 2.1.1 servers (and bridges) installed at multiple locations around the world.

Multiple, Distributed Venue Servers• The problem: A network outage

at the Venue Server could take the whole event down, even if everybody else’s network was fine.

• The solution: Backup Venue Servers in additional locations.

IG Recorder

• One problem: Five presenting sites have very low bandwidth.

• The solution: Presentations from these sites will be recorded by Internet2/inSORS collaborative effort, and played back at the conference.

Yes, There Will be PowerPoint. . .

• We’re hoping to use the shared presentation tool bundled into AG 2.1.1, but haven’t tested it yet and therefore haven’t committed.– Watch for mail from me next week

asking for your help in testing it!

Technical Infrastructure

• More than a dozen sites providing technical services around the world– Even as we speak, Tom Uram’s

helping Mike Daw install venues servers

• Experiences at SC Global 2001 taught us to beware of single points of failure!

Venues Server

QuickBridge

OSReflector

QTool IGR MUD

ANL, US

U of Manchester, UK

K-JIST, Korea

Sydney VisLab, Australia (5)

Griffith U, Australia(2)

K-JIST, Korea (2)

KISTI, Korea

U of Kentucky, US

ANL, US

U College London, UK

Boston University, US

U of Kentucky, US

Sydney VisLab, Australia

KISTI, Korea

NCSA, US

KISTI, Korea

Griffith U, Australia

Internet2, US

LBNL, US

KISTI, Korea

U of Manchester, UK

Purdue, US

Bold, italic text indicates primary site.