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Grid computing begins to realise its international potential

Posted on 5 July 2005

Virtual Research collaboration is being taken to a new level with the first international, interdisciplinary computer Grid. It has been established by the Worldwide Universities Network -- at five sites in three countries more than 5,000 miles apart.

Grid computing is a new generation of shard computation and WUNgrid represents a major step forward in demonstrating that it can be delivered on an international basis.

Using Signal Data Search technology from the DAME project, WUNgrid harnesses the processing power of computers held at five WUN sites - the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the National Centre for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois, and the Universities of Southampton, Bergen and Manchester.

WUNgrid will help to realise the vision of virtual communities of academics from across the globe using data and computers, irrespective of where they are located. The DAME technology resulted from a flagship UK project aimed at supporting distributed diagnostics of aero engine data for Rolls-Royce developed with the Universities of York (lead partner), Sheffield, Leeds and Oxford. Professor Jim Austin commented, "This is the first time the DAME technology has been operational internationally and applied to a new domain - in this case search and analysis of heart data, it represents a significant step forward for Grid technology".

For many years, similar interdisciplinary collaboration has been the preserve of large infrastructure project communities, such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). Now, thanks to the WUN initiative, the benefits can be spread across the research landscape, with a high return and at low cost.

A key part of the project is the use of the Storage Resource Broker (SRB) - a functioning grid technology developed by UCSD designed to manage data across different computer systems.

The grid will substantially enhance the impact of the research by allowing access to data collections on a global basis

Dr David Pilsbury

The partners set up an academic and technical virtual team to link five independent data grids to share information. Each site established its own data grid using local storage repositories and the five grids are linked - information managed by a data grid in Bergen, for example, can be accessed through its counterpart in Manchester. The project allows researchers to assemble collections spread across multiple storage resources and data grids in five institutions.

The project provides a mechanism to create and sustain international, interdisciplinary communities while fostering joint working to capitalise on complementary expertise. User communities have been included in WUNgrid's development from the start.

WUN's Chief Executive, Dr David Pilsbury said: "The powerful combination of internationally recognized researchers at WUN member institutions, substantial research collections and the leading technology of the WUNgrid infrastructure will bring exciting and innovative collaborative research opportunities.

"The grid will substantially enhance the impact of the research by allowing access to data collections on a global basis. This new generation of information transfer is essential to maintain a global research effort."

Eventually, WUNgrid will be extended to include sites in the Far East through WUN partners in China, and the organisation's links with the Pacific Rim Applications and Middleware Assembly (PRAGMA).

Further information on WUNgrid can be found at www.wungrid.org