Transcript ICTP Network - T/ICT4D Lab

Scientific Computing
Overview
• Computing and communications resources
• New communication and information
services
• Training
ICTP network
~ 50 Unix
systems
~ 550 PC's
(Linux and
Windows)
ICTP
network
~ 200
Mac's
ICTP Network
University of
Trieste
Physics Dept.
INTERNET
Galileo
Building
E. Fermi
Building
1Gb/s
2Mb/s
II floor A
Firewall
10 Mb/s
Net Centre
II floor B
I floor
100 Mb/s
Ground floor
Adratico
Guest House
SISSA
Microprocessor
Lab. Building
LIS
WWF
Europe
(155 Mbps
now, 2500
Mbps by
end 2001)
US
(622 Mbps)
6 Mb/s
ICTP network
GARR
(italian
national
academic
network)
ICTP
2 Mb/s
2Mb/s
10 Mb/s
SISSA
8 Mb/s
Trieste (University,Scientific Park, Synchrotron Radiation
facility, Int.Centre for Genetic Engineering, National Condensed
Matter Physics Labs, National High Energy Physics Labs,
Astronomical Observatory, Geophysical Observatory)
ICTP network
• Supports voice, multimedia 2Q 2001
• Italian & European academic backbone
support voice, multimedia (now in practice;
with quality assurance in 2001/2002)
• Internet distributed computing for physics
(Euro GRID) on Italian, European network
in 2002/2003
– ICTP relation to this project not yet defined
Scientific Computing
• Mainly in-house programs
– Numerical:mainly Fortran
• Climatology
• Statistical physics
• Condensed matter physics
– Symbolic: Mathematica, Maple
• Statistical physics
• High Energy physics
Computing facilities: clusters
IBM E260
2 Processors
1-2 GB RAM
Sun Ultra 60
2 Processors
1-2 GB RAM
Intel Pentium III 670 MHz
512 MB RAM
Computing facilities: clusters
IBM E260
2 Processors
1-2 GB RAM
Sun Ultra 60
2 Processors
1-2 GB RAM
Intel Pentium IV 1500 MHz,1 GB RAM
Computing facilities:
supercomputer access
• Some groups access CINECA (Interuniversity supercomputer centre, Bologna,
Italy):
– Cray T3E
– IBM SP3
– SGI Origin 2000
• Specific research grants
Communications: very low
bandwidth
• Low bandwith, low cost applications
– Www4mail: mail access to web
• supports forms, database access
• ~3000 accesses/day
– Scientific talk
• prototype: web conferencing and chat tool supporting
mathematics
Communications: inter-personal
communications
• Low-bandwidth (voice+data) scientific
interpersonal communications:
– Voice over IP, document sharing, shared
(virtual) whiteboard, handwriting capture:
scientific communication
• prototypes with Turin, Lima, Rome; Beijing, Cairo,
Bonn following
– tools for low-cost infrastructure (access control,
multipoint discussion)
Communications: on line
conferences
– Conferences/workshops held at ICTP
archived :
• voice + slides;
•
•
•
•
– lecture notes,proceedings, complementary
materials if any;
Web accessible
comments, discussion forum (if authorized and
moderated by author)
semi-automatic: low cost => standard practice?
Indexing: activity, author, title words, keywords...
Communications: on line
conferences
• Voice, slides accessible on-line in near-realtime:
– 1-3 minutes after being pronounced/ displayed
– netcast
Communications: on line
conferences
• Prototypes in 2000
– http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~web1341
• Service 3Q 2001
• Extensions: near real time interaction of
remote participants through inter-personal
communications tools
Training
• Visitors from developing countries (Benin,
Nigeria, Iran till now), to learn through
practice
– extended stays (3-6 months)
– very limited by scarce local manpower
• organization of computer-oriented courses
for academic staff of developing countries
(networking, Web usage for science)