CoLab: e-Science Collaboration between Leeds and Beihang in China For Grid-Enabled Visualisation Applications

Lead Research Organisation: University of Leeds
Department Name: Sch of Computing

Abstract

Grids are an enabling technological platform for e-Science applications, offering a large-scale infrastructure for the coordinated and secure use of shared computing power, software, data, and knowledge in a distributed environment. Grid computing technologies are creating new opportunities for better, faster, cheaper, or different research. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) has emerged as a superior model for building Grid applications and supporting collaborations amongst different organisations, whilst security in Grids remains, amongst other problems, a significant challenge that needs to be addressed urgently.The University of Leeds and Beihang University in China have leading groups in both the UK and Chinese e-Science programmes. They have many complimentary expertises in Grid computing including infrastructures, middleware systems and applications, and share a large number of common research interests in the areas of service-oriented Grid middleware, system security and dependability, and Grid-enabled visualization applications. CoLaB will be based on the existing e-Science collaboration between Leeds and Beihang, serving as a sister project that facilitates formal research collaboration amongst various e-Science projects in Leeds (White Rose Grid, DAME, eViz and e-Demand) and Beihang (CNGrid, ChinaGrid, NSFCGrid and CROWN). This will be achieved by organising a series of workshops in UK and China, and annual visits to both the UK and Chinese Grid projects. The main deliverables of this project will be 1) an advanced Grid infrastructure which integrates the White Rose Grid and the Grids in China, 2) a jointly developed, service-oriented Grid system with a usable security and dependability framework that provides support for 3) a set of visualization services across the globe, with opportunities for large-scale collaborations amongst the users of these services.
 
Description The COLAB project was a collaborative project between the University of Leeds in the UK, and Beihang University in Beijing, China. The main funding was in the form of a travel grant, which allowed for both face-to-face meetings (typically twice yearly) and regular (bi-weekly) video conferencing meetings between the two sides. This resulted in novel techniques developed in Leeds (in the areas of security, fault-tolerance and fault injection) being integrated into the CROWN Grid middleware system developed in China. This culminated in a 8 page article in IEEE Computer magazine, describing the "CROWN-C" system (CROWN COLAB), developed by the project. Although COLAB funding has ended, the collaboration has continued and prospered, and has made a great and lasting impact in the cultures and friendships of both universities.
Exploitation Route A business that needs to deal with many high-security web transactions, or needs in-built testing or fault-tolerance, may wish to employ the CROWN-C middleware. CROWN-C is highly flexible, and has innumerable potential exploitation routes. The CROWN-C middleware developed by the project can be used by any entity (business, governmental or private citizen) who wishes to establish a high-peformance computing "Grid" (i.e. cluster) system that has in-built security, fault-tolerance and testing mechanisms.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Healthcare
URL http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/D077249/1
 
Description The major contribution of the COLAB collaboration was the development of the "CROWN-C" Grid middleware system. This system, published in IEEE Computer magazine, has been integrated into the Chinese CROWN system, used by many major Chinese companies and academics. The project has led to on-going collaborations with a number of key partners in China.
First Year Of Impact 2008
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)
Impact Types Societal