SGER: NMI: Grid Usage Sensors and Services

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This SGER proposal seeks to design and prototype a system and service for measuring and reporting grid usage. The system, called GUSS, will track, archive, and make available for reporting and display usage and performance data in a grid environment. Specifically, the work will provide visibility into file transfers in Globus Toolkit enabled grid environments. The work is motivated in large part by the need for better visibility into exceptions, such as unsuccessful and successful restarts, and a more accurate assessment of fault tolerance in grids. Access to GUSS services is proposed to occur through the framework of the Grid Portal architecture. Implementation plans target server-side GridFTP, the main file transfer engine in use in grid environments today. Plans will leverage existing work in grid instrumentation, logging, and archiving by adopting Netlogger for data transmission and archiving. Development will be tightly integrated with ongoing NMI activities, including potential contributions of GUSS portlets into the NMI Grid Portal repository of portal software. Near-term deployment of the prototype GUSS system, including a GUSS-enabled GridFTP, is targeted for Teragrid and PPDG. One part of the SGER explores what the proposal calls sociological issues relating to the monitoring and reporting of user activities in the presence of privacy and security concerns.