PSS First group meeting 11/11/2005 Assignments –DGL: Dirk –C5 representative: Maria –Web master: ? –GM secretary? Who’s who? PSS – what? PoW and other.

PSS

• First group meeting 11/11/2005• Assignments

– DGL: Dirk– C5 representative: Maria– Web master: ?– GM secretary?

• Who’s who?• PSS – what?• PoW and other meetings• A.o.b.

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

• The Physics Services Support (PSS) group supports the LHC experiments' computing systems during commissioning and exploitation in the framework of the LCG project. The activities encompass the preparation, the deployment and the support of infrastructure services as well as components belonging to the experiment frameworks.

• The group consists of two sections, Database Services for Physics (DP) and Experiment Integration and Distributed Analysis (ED).

Physics Database Services

The Physics Database Services activity provides Oracle-based services to the Physics community at CERN deployed either on 2-node Oracle 10g Real Application Clusters (RAC), or on a 9i Sun RAC, or on Linux individual disk servers. Physics Database Services team provides– resource allocation to the experiments, – DBA service for the physics community, supporting

the LHC Computing Grid services (such as the LCG file catalogue LFC or the gLite file transfer FTS) and the services for the POOL and COOL projects,

– on-call service providing 24/7 database support for the physics community

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

Database Applications

The LCG database projects include applications related to detector construction, book-keeping, event-level metadata as well as developing physics database applications and providing optimization consultancy. In particular– co-ordinating the LCG 3D project (Distributed Deployment of

Databases for LCG) which as a joint project between IT, experiments, grid projects and LCG sites defining and implementing a distributed database service across LCG Tier-0, Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites,

– leading the LCG persistency framework projects (POOL and/or COOL ) as baseline solutions for three LHC experiments as joint projects with the experiments within the LCG Application Area. This activity also includes developments for distributed deployment of these packages as part of the 3D project.

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

DP Section

• The close relationship between these activities (local and distributed service implementation and provision of the LCG common software) ensures a tight integration of software and service.

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

Experiment Integration and Distributed Analysis

The ED section provides direct support to all LHC experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb). The section contains the activities of the LCG/EIS team and LCG/ARDA project and the EGEE NA4 (Applications Identification and Support). The ED section is one of a major contributor in the LCG/EGEE experiments task forces. Main line of activities are– contribution in the testing, sustainable evolution, customization and

support of the current middleware deployed on the EGEE infrastructure and being developed for EGEE/LCG including significant contributions to the gLite middleware such as the ARDA Metadata Grid Application (AMGA),

– collaboration and support of large-scale resources usage (data challenges and production activities) and supporting users (user guide and tutorials),

– provision of support in porting and optimizing applications to the grid environment,

– direct contribution to the development and delivery of the experiment systems for distributed computing (high-level experiment specific services) such as GANGA (ATLAS and LHCb), CRAB and Dashboard (CMS), and the C-Acces library and xrootd (ALICE).

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

Final word

• The projects of the PSS group are supported in part by the EGEE project, partners of the WLCG collaboration and industrial partners of the CERN openlab. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of EGEE, some small effort is devoted to liaise with other communities such as Biomed and GEANT4 .

http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

Pictures?http://cern.ch/it-div-pss

PSS @ POW3 November 2003

Dirk Düllmann, Jürgen Knobloch, Massimo Lamanna

POW – looking back

• The meeting started by reviewing the progress and issues of 2005: it was noticed that there were much less inter-group issues compared to the last meeting; that most of the issues were internal to activities; that succession planning is problematic, and on the positive side that internal mobility really happened in the department with 14 moves. Potential issues were identified in the areas of MySQL support, Remote Backups and Archiving, Catia and the related usage of SmartTeam, Castor I phase-out, Linux support load, PC Server procurement, Service Challenges ramp up and CERN certificate authority.

POW – looking forward

• The Groups then presented and explained their plans for 2006. The presentations will be made available to the IT department staff shortly.

• A refurbishment proposal for the entrance of building 513 was presented with a view to making it more attractive for VIP visits.

• An itemized list of actions is now being drafted, with clear ownership of each action and will be made available before the end of the month.

• On the staff planning side, the numbers have to be refined to include externally unfunded staff, as there will be a big problem after LCG phase II. This will be done.

Physics Services Support - PSS

• Existing since 1 November 2005• Two sections:

– Databases for physics (DP) – Dirk Duellmann– Experiment Support & Distributed Analysis (ED) – Massimo

Lamanna• Sections existed in other groups – initially smooth continuation• Synergy between the two parts – role of database in analysis –

direct feedback from within experiments• Try to go for more commonalty between experiments• Work guided by experiments’ requirements• Collaborate on DB issues with DES – identify and eliminate

duplication• ED: tight collaboration with GD – aim to co-locate people• ED: people are assigned to experiments but should not “disappear”

there

Break-out on MySQL• Dirk, Mats, Jürgen, Reinoud, Tim, • Assess IT needs for MySQL support:

– Communicate applications mail to Jürgen– Questionnaire to collect requirements (Dirk)

• Scope (data volume, access pattern, QoS,…)• Urgency, “why not move to ORACLE?”

• Understand solutions– Hardware, OS, MySQL versions, procedures– Existing expertise

• Make resource-loaded proposal• Aim: “Harden” & pool existing IT services –

not to offer new service

PoW Priorities (1)• General streamlining of services, including running down those who

cannot be resourced adequately.• Seeking external funding where appropriate.• Continue vigilance on security side and close high numbered ports.• Implement and deploy CNIC.• Start deploying CRA and evolve it as needed.• Cleanup accounts, provide only one CERN Certificate Authority

solution.• Provide a global monitoring view of the services.• Propose off-site backup and archiving.• LCG Service Challenge IV.• Clarify expected data rates at LHC run times.• Castor II performance and migration.• Build on experiments task forces (EGEE & LCG).

PoW Priorities (2)• 3D project.• Setup LCG acquisition process.• Ensure LCG funding for 2007 and beyond.• Complete EGEE, manage transition to EGEE-II (with LCG).• Manage EGEE 2006 conferences and support EGEE related

projects.• Prepare post-EGEE era.• Launch openlab II.• Complete staff plan, update Medium Term Plan (including

networking and PABX).• Expand office space in building 28.• Improve IT communication and Web pages.• Finalize CERN annual closure on-call rules.

DCM 10-Nov

• DCM– Safety

• Any accident or near miss on the CERN site of offsite in the course of official activities must be reported to the leader of the Safety Commission within 48 hours by the leader of the group concerned

• Accident : professional (A2 first then HS50); non-professional HS50 form directly to Uniqua

– Training:• Special course for IT on Time Management: 2 half day

seminars “How to get organized to do more work in less time” – 16 & 21 Nov

• 2 Platform LSF Administration and Configuration courses will organised on-site in the week from 21-25 November : Basic (3 days) and Advanced (2days)

LHCC 12-13 October• A first conclusion of the review (7-8 October) of the computing TDRs

of the four experiments and of LCG was given. The computing models of the experiments have not changed significantly since the review of January.

• All experiments rely now on the CERN Analysis Facility (CAF). The Tier-0 facility is considered well planned and is expected to be ready in time if budgets permit. The planned Tier-0 resources seem well matched to the requests.

• The computing models – in particular distributed analysis - relying on the Grid are essentially untested.

• An imbalance of resource request – most notably for random access storage – between the experiments as well as the shortfall of pledged resources at outside centres is of great concern. The currently foreseen management of WLCG resources is considered insufficient. An “LHC Computing Coordinator” will be proposed.

• The inherent delays in the CERN purchasing procedure were criticized.