Transcript Grid Activities at LIP - api-documents.web.cern.ch - /API

LIP and the Traveling
Physicist
Jorge Gomes
LIP - Computer Centre
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
About LIP
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
The LIP context
– LIP is the Portuguese HEP laboratory.
• Lisbon, Coimbra and Faro
• > 100 persons
– LIP does not host IT resources for groups or
experiments with large external contributions.
– Most LIP users are internal users.
– One exception is Grid:
• LIP is involved in CrossGrid and DataGrid
• LIP supports the ATLAS, CMS and crossgrid VOs
• LIP hosts the CrossGrid central systems
– Currently Grid systems are separated from the
remaining systems.
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Resource usage
– LIP hosts regularly external researchers
• Foreigner
• Portuguese
– External researchers use both LIP and
external computational resources
– LIP researchers travel frequently to:
• Other research institutes
• Conferences
– Travelling is no longer only to HEP
institutes:
• Astrophysics, nuclear medicine …
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Access restrictions to LIP resources
– LIP internal resources are closed to the
Internet with the following exceptions:
• SSH
• Inbound access is open for some central systems
• Web servers
• Central web server (www.lip.pt)
• Webmail server
• Mail
• Secure IMAP is allowed
• Tunnelling
• SSH is the only supported tunnelling mechanism
• Other forms of tunnelling are being considered
• Some exceptions are allowed for trusted
hosts/networks
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Local access to LIP resources
– Guests are allowed to use local
resources:
• Portable computers can:
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Obtain IP addresses from DHCP.
Connect to the internet (using NAT).
Send Email through the LIP mail server.
Print through the central LPD/Samba servers.
Use the VRVS reflector.
Use the wireless LAN upon authorization.
• Some public workstations with windows
are available.
• For external users that will stay at LIP for
some time local accounts are provided.
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Information access policies
– The information publish in the web servers is
divided:
• Strictly local
• Available only from internal web servers.
• For LIP users
• Accessible from the Internet with a password.
• General information
• Open to the Internet.
– We are working to change the look of the web
server:
• General public page
• Intranet page
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Remote access
– LIP provides remote access through:
• A pool of analog modems
• ISDN router
• Internet (SSH to some central systems)
– Remote access using modem or ISDN:
• Has more rights than the Internet access
• More systems are accessible through SSH
• Mail server is open for sending Email
• Telnet to some systems is still allowed
• But much less rights than the local
access
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
The user opinion
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Remote access
– Users want access to resources from:
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Universities and other institutes
Conferences
Home (through ADSL and Cable)
Hotels
Airports
– Using:
• Their portables (everybody has one)
• Local workstations and terminals
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Arriving to a site with a portable
– Users complaint:
• Network configuration
• Different site policies (such as portable
registration).
• Some sites still don’t have DHCP.
• Physical network
• Lack of network sockets for portables.
• Wireless networking coverage is often bad.
• Why doesn’t CERN have WLAN at the Foyer ???
• Power
• Sometimes the power plugs don’t fit in.
• Most conference rooms lack power outlets.
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Arriving to a site with a portable
– Users complaint:
• Mail usage
• Home SMTP servers are closed because of SPAM.
• Access to the home mail server can be difficult
without web mail.
• Obtaining the name of the local SMTP gateway can
be a problem and requires reconfiguration of the
mail agent.
• Different print environments
• In some sites special packages must be installed.
• Installation of drivers in Windows, Linux and Mac.
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Arriving to a site without a portable
– Users complaint:
• Workstations
• Need of a local account to use an existing
workstation (even public).
• Different accounts at each site.
• Lack of public workstations for guests.
• SSH and SCP is not installed everywhere.
• Affects login, file copy and X applications.
• X servers to available in some public PCs
• Network
• Most sites don’t accept telnet 
• This is a problem with the old X terminals
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Generally
– Users complaint:
• X being slow across sites.
• SSH compression doesn’t work when privilege separation
is enabled.
• Access to the home directory without AFS is
difficult.
• Differences in the commands available at the
several sites.
• Problems with powerpoint compatibility across
sites.
• Difficulties in transferring files namely when
using portables.
• Access to systems behind firewalls.
• Certificates and CAs not recognized everywhere
(affects webmail).
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003
Recommendations
– WEBMAIL is essential when travelling.
– Things that should be available at all
institutes:
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Wireless LAN
Power outlets
DHCP
SSH and SCP
PS printers available through LPD
Public workstations for guests
Web page with information for travellers
on how to use the local resources
XXIII HTASC Meeting – CERN March 2003