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Databases in the Grid: tools, middleware and applications (1/3)
(90 mins)
Dr. Giuliano Taffoni (INAF Trieste), Dr. Antonio Calanducci (INFN Catania), Prof. Roberto Barbera (University of Catania)
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Grid infrastructures currently in use for production purposes are strongly computing oriented, and they successfully provide storage and computing resources suitable for scientific communities whose applications require intensive computation and data storage. However, new e-Science projects have a wider perception of the grid, as their applications require not only traditional computations, but also the use of complex data operations that require on-line and off-line access to pre-existing heterogeneous and independently operated databases (DBs). For example, some of the data accessed from a grid infrastructure by the BioinfoGRID project comes in the form of relational DBs. Another important example regards the Astronomical community that is using DB management systems to structure and store important data sets. In the Earth Science community, XML data sources are strongly required by Climate Changes scientists for metadata management.
The need to integrate databases and databases technology in the grid environment has been already recognized as a core research activity by the grid community and some tools and services have been developed on this purpose:
• the Grid Data Source Engine (GDSE);
• the Grid Relational Catalog (GRelC);
• the OGSA Data Access and Integration middleware (OGSA-DAI);
• the AMGA metadata catalogue;
• the COmmon Relational Abstraction Layer (CORAL)
Those tools have been addressing this important topic trying to provide a secure, transparent, robust, efficient and dynamic grid-enabled data access services for relational and non-relational data sources.
In this framework, it is particularly important making developers and users from the different fields meet and exchange experiences and solutions.
To achieve its goals, the workshop targets two main audiences:
• First the community of Grid DB access framework developers;
• Second the audience comprises the Grid users. This includes current and potential users in various scientific areas.
Agenda:
Session 1.
14:00 - 15:30
1) Title: “Welcome and Scope of the Workshop�
Speaker: Dr. Giuliano Taffoni
Abstract: Welcome the attendees, to present the scope and the objectives of the workshop.
2) Title: “Grid Data Source engine: concepts and applications�
Speaker: Dr. Giuliano Taffoni, Prof. Claudio Vuerli (National Institute for Astrophysics, INAF Trieste, Italy)
Abstract: The Grid Data Source Engine (GDSE) is providing secure, transparent, robust, efficient mechanisms to manage generic Data Sources and in particular relational and non relational Database management systems. We present features and architectural design and we present two pilot applications that are using the GDSE.
3) Title: “GRelC Project Overview�
Speaker: Dr. Massimo Cafaro (Univ. of Lecce and SPACI Consortium, Italy)
Abstract: The Grid Relational Catalog Project - GRelC - (University of Salento, Lecce & SPACI Consortium) aims at providing a set of advanced data grid services to transparently, efficiently and securely manage Databases on the Grid. Within this talk, after introducing the GRelC Project, we describe in detail the GRelC DAS, a WSI-I based, GSI/VOMS enabled, database access service fully compatible with gLite and Globus.
4) Title: “A WS-DAIR interface for the AMGA metadata catalogue�
Speaker: Dr. Birger Koblitz, Dr. Ali Javadzadeh Boloori (CERN, Switzerland)
Abstract: AMGA is the metadata catalogue of the EGEE project and part of its gLite middleware. Recently a WS-DAIR compatible interface was added to AMGA. We will give an overview of how this implementation was done, show some performance comparisons with the former AMGA interface and will give some feedback on the standard.
Session 2.
15:45 - 17:15
5) Title: “OGSA-DAI: sharing data resources to enable efficient collaboration�
Speaker: Dr. Mike Jackson (EPCC, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Abstract: The OGSA-DAI software enables data access, transformation, integration and delivery for a wide range of data resources. It is easily extensible, allowing users to link data resources exposed by OGSA-DAI, link public resources to their own, private, data resources, and grid-enable their datasets. OGSA-DAI's execution framework allows users and data providers to define workflows which federate, transform and join data in various ways using both functionality provided by OGSA-DAI with specialist activity plugins developed by user. This presentation will give an overview of OGSA-DAI and how you can use it, illustrated with examples from projects that show OGSA-DAI in use in different research domains.
6) Title: “The COmmon Relational Abstraction Layer (CORAL)�
Speaker: Dr. Dirk Duellmann and Dr. Maria Girone (CERN, Switzerland)
Abstract: We present CORAL, a vendor independent s/w layer used by experiments, and the LCG persistency framework, enabling runtime choice of back-end technology between Oracle, MySQL, SQLite, Frontier, Integration with VOMS based authentication, now developing a middle tier server (CORAL proxy server) to add another level of scalability and direct mapping of grid certificates/roles to database accounts.
7) Title: “The LCG 3D Project�
Speaker: Dr. Dirk Duellmann, Dr. Maria Girone (CERN, Switzerland)
Abstract: We present the LCG 3D project and the replication technology used for experiments and grid related databases, the distributed database services for LCG including CERN T0 and ten T1 sites, including technology chosen, service setup and monitoring, production experience since April last year, future plans.
8) Title: “Earth Science GRID and the e-collaboration technologies experiences in ESA - ESRIN�
Speaker: Prof. Luigi Fusco (ESA-ESRIN, Frascati, Italy)
Abstract: The presentation will provide an overview of selected ESA Earth Observation missions and related software tools that ESA provides for facilitating data handling and analysis; the existing GRID environment, its infrastructure, the intermediary layer developed to interface the application; different examples of EO applications integrated in the GRID environment and its use in integrating the ESA Earth Science Knowledge Infrastructures; the GRID extensions to address the handling of Digital Libraries and the preparation of long term data and knowledge preservation; the new framework to manage the European Earth Science Digital Repositories (GENESI-DR); the Collaborative Working Environment to support specialised communities.
Session 3.
17:30 - 19:00
9) Title: The astronomical Virtual
Observatory, an operational grid of data and services
Speaker: Dr. F. Genova
Abstract: The International Virtual Observatory (VO) Alliance (IVOA) was formed in June 2002 with a mission to "facilitate the international coordination and collaboration necessary for the development and deployment of the tools, systems and organizational structures necessary to enable the international utilization of astronomical archives as an integrated and interoperating virtual observatory." The VO will enable a new way of doing astronomy, moving from an era of observations of small, carefully selected samples of objects in one or a few wavelength bands, to the use of multi-wavelength data for millions, if not billions of objects. Such datasets will allow researchers to discover subtle but significant patterns in statistically rich and unbiased databases, and to understand complex astrophysical systems through the comparison of data to numerical simulations. The VO will provide simultaneous access to multi-wavelength archives and advanced visualization and statistical analysis tools.
10) Title: “Report on experiences in testing software providing access to different relational databases interfaced to the grid.�
Speaker: Dr. Giacinto Donvito, Prof. Giorgio Maggi (National Institute of Nuclear Physics, INFN Bari, Italy)
Abstract: The talk will provide an overview of the experiences using the different available tool to access Relational Databases in a grid environment, will report on their performance, the adherence to standard and on the comparison of the exposed interfaces.
11) Title: “Data Management procedures in the UNOSAT-Grid projecj�
Speaker: Dr. Xavier Meyer (Geneva University, Switzerland), Dr. Patricia Mendez Lorenzo (CERN, Switzerland)
Location: Barcelona C
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