Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру
Ukrainian Grid community has established Ukrainian National Grid Initiative (UNGI) which has joined up the major active European projects EGEE and EGI. The community of objectives based on the involvement in world leading scientific projects is elucidated. General features of UNGI and European Grid...
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| Дата: | 2009 |
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The National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute"
2009
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System research and information technologies| _version_ | 1866302020867063808 |
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| author | Zagorodny, А. Zgurovsky, М. Zinovjev, G. Martynov, E. Petrenko, А. |
| author_facet | Zagorodny, А. Zgurovsky, М. Zinovjev, G. Martynov, E. Petrenko, А. |
| author_sort | Zagorodny, А. |
| baseUrl_str | http://journal.iasa.kpi.ua/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| datestamp_date | 2018-04-06T12:34:45Z |
| description | Ukrainian Grid community has established Ukrainian National Grid Initiative (UNGI) which has joined up the major active European projects EGEE and EGI. The community of objectives based on the involvement in world leading scientific projects is elucidated. General features of UNGI and European Grid structures and projects together with various Grid-based applications supported by UNGI are discussed. Current UNGI activities and its future plans in view of realistic computational and human resources are described. The problems and prospects of rapidly progressing Ukrainian Grid infrastructure on the way of international cooperation and integration are illuminated. |
| first_indexed | 2025-07-17T10:22:35Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
© A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko, 2009
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 35
TIДC
ПРОГРЕСИВНІ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ,
ВИСОКОПРОДУКТИВНІ КОМП’ЮТЕРНІ
СИСТЕМИ
УДК 681.3.07
INTEGRATING UKRAINE INTO EUROPEAN GRID
INFRASTRUCTURE
A. ZAGORODNY, M. ZGUROVSKY, G. ZINOVJEV,
E. MARTYNOV, A. PETRENKO
Ukrainian Grid community has established Ukrainian National Grid Initiative
(UNGI) which has joined up the major active European projects EGEE and EGI.
The community of objectives based on the involvement in world leading scientific
projects is elucidated. General features of UNGI and European Grid structures and
projects together with various Grid-based applications supported by UNGI are dis-
cussed. Current UNGI activities and its future plans in view of realistic computa-
tional and human resources are described. The problems and prospects of rapidly
progressing Ukrainian Grid infrastructure on the way of international cooperation
and integration are illuminated.
INTRODUCTION
The rapid progress of Grid technologies initiated in 1998 by the pioneering book
by I. Foster and C. Kesselman has quickly led to the understanding that high-
productive distributed computations are the natural ground of future development
in research and practical applications of fundamental knowledge about animate
and inanimate nature. The Grid technologies enabled to solve such scientific and
technical tasks which required before the impossibly large amount of computing
time even at using super-powerful supercomputers. It is enough indicative to
mention the examples of exploring the NH5NA1 bird flew, or decoding the ge-
nomes of plants and animals. The tasks which required the tens and hundreds
years for the modern computers to work continuously are solved in a few weeks
or months.
The Grid technologies available for solving scientific, practical and social
tasks, economic planning and prognostication put on the agenda in developed
countries the creation of effectively functioning Grid infrastructures which unite
the computational resources of scientific, educational and industrial spheres. Tra-
ditionally, so large-scale projects begin their life in the scientific research sector
(as it happened to the electronic mail and Internet), but then they spread fast on all
the spheres of social activity. In case of the Grid technologies the Internet history
has recurred but it has occurred even with faster steps what is confirmed by a
growth of investments into the Grid technology sector. In 2003 it was invested
about $300 million into Grid technologies, in 2006 it was already $1.8 billion and
according to the predictions for 2011 it can be about $25 billion [1].
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 36
Many countries, having begun with implementing the separate Grid projects
dedicated to the scientific research (physics, biology, geophysics, etc.), are ac-
tively working to establish the national Grid infrastructures which enable to use
the existing computational resources of the countries even in more effective and
comprehensive way. At the same time the process of uniting the national Grids
into the global world Grid infrastructures takes place. In Europe, under the aegis
of European Commission, the EGI (European Grid Initiative) organization [2] is
established and today it includes National Grids of 38 European countries. EGI is
at the stage of formation but there are no doubts this organization will be running
full profile already in 2010 as it is planned. Certainly, with such an organization
acting the common European computational resource will provide very powerful
impact on further scientific and social integration of European countries.
In this paper we present the process of implementing the Grid technologies
in Ukraine focusing on the difficulties faced and the positive experience gained.
After the brief historical introduction we describe the current status of Grid in
Ukraine, discuss the possible ways of its development and propose the concrete
practical steps to speed up an activity of bringing this powerful instrument to the
scientific research and practical applications. We emphasize the specific aspects
of what Ukraine could effectively use from the world experience of exploiting the
Grid technologies and what Ukraine could propose to the world Grid society.
1. HISTORY AND STATUS OF GRID TECHNOLOGIES IN UKRAINE
The Grid history in Ukraine is very short and starts from two projects which at the
beginning were independently developing because the corresponding communi-
ties have demonstrated different professional interests. National Academy of Sci-
ences of Ukraine (NASU) has started in 2005 and Ministry of Education and Sci-
ence of Ukraine (MESU) has launched the project up in 2006. We briefly
consider the status of both projects today.
1.1. Project of NASU
The first computational clusters in Ukraine appeared at the commencement of
current century and, in particular, the first Grid cluster was put to operation in
2004 in National Scientific Technical Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and
Technology” (KIPT). The process of creating was strongly supported and assisted
by the experts of Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Russia) and Moscow
State University (MSU).
KIPT within the collaborative work for future СMS experiment at CERN.
The cluster was registered and successfully operates today as the resource pledged
by Russia-Dubna Intensive Grid (RDIG) organization.
In 2005 due to an initiative of Bogolubov Institute for Theoretical Physics
(BITP) of NASU the systematic building of Grid clusters and creation of the aca-
demic Grid infrastructure have started. The first cluster was built at BITP in 2005
and was immediately pledged as the Grid resource of the ALICE Collaboration at
CERN together with the cluster of Taras Schevchenko Kiev National University
(KNU).
In 2006 NASU approved the Program “Grid technologies implementation
and cluster building in Ukraine” which is almost completed today. In the course
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 37
of this program realization the academic Grid infrastructure uniting computational
resources of 16 academic institutes was established. It provides those institutes
with the corresponding services for the research in physics, astronomy, biology
and informatics and their intensive cooperation with the international partners.
We expect another five academic clusters will join this project until the end of
this year. Then common computational resource of Ukrainian Academic Grid
(UAG) will consist of about 1500 processor cores and more than 150 TB of disk
space for data storing (see http://uag.bitp.kiev.ua).
In two last years considerable amount of scientific tasks in physics, astro-
physics and biology were successfully solved with the UAG clusters. Grid
technologies were used for processing the results of satellite monitoring of
surface, water and air resources of Ukraine in estimating the biological diversity
in Southern regions of Ukraine. About 40000 tasks concerning the experimental
program of ALICE at CERN have been solved with the UAG clusters.
The concept of further development of UAG is under the process of com-
pleting. New phase of activity envisages together with widening and strengthen-
ing the UAG infrastructure to pay more attention to the development of special-
ized Grid applications and the creation of virtual organizations which are
occupied by the topical problems in various fields of human activity.
1.2. Project of MESU
Project of establishing the Grid infrastructure for information society develop-
ment in Ukraine appeared as the part of wider task of creating educational and
research segments of Ukrainian information society with two main directions: a) a
wide use of information and communication technologies at all stages of scientific
research and education and b) development of an information management of cor-
responding activities [3,4].
Main tasks of the first direction were
• Building Grid infrastructure for education and scientific research support.
• Infrastructural development of Ukrainian research and academic URAN
net and its integration into European GEANT-2.
• Getting experience of work in Grid infrastructure and distributed informa-
tion systems exploitation, developing algorithms and methods of solving applied
tasks in distributed computing environment.
Second direction proposed
• Implementation of effective information management of education and
science.
• Development of the means of storing, processing and open access to sci-
entific and educational information resources (data bases, archives, electronic li-
braries, etc.).
• Connecting Ukrainian Grid to European Grid and to the World Data Cen-
ters net.
“National GRID infrastructure modeling for scientific research sup-
port” project. (UGrid project (www.grid.ntu-kpi.kiev.ua) is dedicated to building
Grid segment of MESU and exists within “State task program “Information and
communication technologies in education and science for 2006—2010”. In the
process of project realization the following tasks are being solved [5, 6]:
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 38
• Supporting servicing of World Data Center Ukrainian Branch (WDC
UB), providing its clients with remote access to world scientific data repositories,
possibility of efficient common share of computers, unique experimental sets, and
devices.
• In cooperation with NASU enhancement of the existing scientific and
educational computational and communication infrastructure at national level and
its connection to European Grid infrastructure.
• Development of Certificate Authority of Open Keys in Ukraine registered
in EUGridPMA.
• Organization of national Grid infrastructure servicing by creating regional
resource-operational centers and permanently working groups of supporting the
necessary Grid services.
• Assistance to creating common projects within international virtual or-
ganizations (VO).
• Spreading in society the knowledge on Grid technologies and advantages
of their use in scientific research and practical applications.
UGrid project is considerably connected with providing servicing of World
Data Center Ukrainian Branch (WDC UB). Its task is, particularly, to provide cli-
ents with remote access to world scientific data repositories, possibility of effi-
cient common share of computers, unique experimental sets and devices. WDC
UB is an element of World data Centers system which is created and supported by
International Council for Science. It collects, stores and exchanges data with the
other Centers in wide range of research and practical applications:
UGrid project is being performed by the team of 10 different Ukrainian or-
ganizations (2 academic, 6 educational, and 2 industrial), headed by Institute for
Applied System Analysis (IASA) of National Technical University of Ukraine
“Kiev Polytechnic Institute”. These are NTUU “KPI”, G.E. Puhov Institute of
Simulation Problems in Energetics of NASU (ISPE), Kharkiv National University
of Radio Electronics (KNURE), Lviv National Technical University “Lviv Poly-
technics” (NULP), Zaporoje National Technical University (ZNTU), Donetsk
National Polytechnic Institute (DonNPI), Dnipropetrovsk National Mining
University (DNMU), government enterprise “Lviv Research Institute of Radio
Engineering” (LRIRE) and USTAR enterprise.
Common computational resource of UGrid contains about 1000 processor
cores and more than 100 TB of disk space for data storing. The cluster of NTUU
“KPI” (now 688 processors) is connected to NASU clusters network. Status and
perspectives of Educational Ukrainian are described in more details in [7].
1.3. Software
National Grid infrastructure of Ukraine will be grounded on the existing potential
of computational and instrumental resources and data repositories of scientific
and educational centers of Ukraine and the other potential participants of national
Grid infrastructure. It is proposed to install gLite software in NGI what will give
the possibility to use the latest achievements in middleware development, to build
safe, flexible and well-scalable Grid environment and also to avoid excess obsta-
cles and interaction with the other infrastructures within EGEE project and the
other European projects.
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 39
Today the academic Grid works under the direction of ARC NorduGrid
(gLite is installed on clusters of KIPT and KNU and is being tested). It is known
that some international virtual organizations work with software different from
gLite. Obviously, it would be reasonable to build infrastructure in that way that
different Grid software could function there simultaneously and transparently for
users.
The basic terms at common use of several Grid infrastructures are “interop-
erability” and “interoperation”. The interoperability is defined as possibility of
Grid systems to exchange information and use the exchanged information. The
interoperation is defined as possibility of Grid systems to interact. Providing of
interoperability is the first and necessary step on the way to the Grid systems in-
teraction.
This problem was explored and already partially solved in KIPT. To provide
interoperability between the main infrastructure of NASU under the direction of
NorduGrid ARC (testing the institute sites which work under the direction of
Globus software [8]) it was decided to choose adapters and translators, because
this method is being successfully used for solving such tasks. It was necessary to
design full-grown adapter which working on the level higher than middleware
would have its resource broker and its own scheduler along with user's interface
convenient enough.
The program product GridWay was chosen for adapter. At the moment of
beginning the work with GridWay in NASU NorduGrid ARC software was not
included into the list of software supported in the basic version. To provide inter-
operability between ARC and Globus, taking into account peculiarities, caused by
the given NorduGrid ARC software, information, transport and executive mod-
ules which use GridWay, were changed or developed. Information and transport
ARC system has much common with analogical systems, based on Globus, that is
why information and transport access drivers which are the components of Grid-
Way, required modification only. What for executive ARC system, it is created in
different way than executive component of Globus and executive ARC access
modulus must have been re-written.
The put task was successfully solved, and test exploitation showed that KIPT
users, by the help of mega scheduler, can send their tasks to the main NASU in-
frastructure as well as to KIPT test sites. Work on software interoperability im-
provement is in progress.
The SDGrid portal (www.sdgrid.org.ua) for access to Grid infrastructure was
developed under Ugrid project as the single point of users’ access to multiple in-
formation resources and applications which will be set in operation in resource-
operational centers for users’ service and training. SDGrid portal was built on
GridSphere з with applications for gLite, Globus 2 and Globus 4 software sup-
porting, and GridSphere provides the developers with highly effective mechanism
in developing new applications which use the portlet system.
In order to give to the researchers a possibility to use the Grid computing re-
sources in habitual working environments the NetSolve software was installed on
NTUU “KPI” cluster. Now an user (working say with MATHLAB) doesn’t care
where he is situated, how he detects and calls for the needed Grid resource; he
only points the criteria necessary to choose this resource, and further interacts
with this resource in the same way as with the local resources (procedures,
classes, programs) of his working environment.
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 40
1.4. Internet channels in NASU and MESU
It is well known that Grid infrastructure can work effectively only with the high-
speed Internet channels available. The fiber optic channels with corresponding
equipment satisfy the modern claims to capacity of channels (from tens of Mbps
to tens of Gbps). Such channels are at disposal of URANET (which services
mainly academic institutes) and URAN (which works mainly with educational
structures). Inter-regional net of these providers which covers the territory of
Ukraine, is shown in fig. 1. URAN and URANET have also the branched subnets
in the lines of Ukrainian cities.
Grid clusters of academic net are connected with channels with capacity of
100 Мbps. It must be emphasized this inner traffic is provided by URANET free
for the academic Grid clusters. Foreseeing the considerable increase of the
amount of clusters in educational structures of MESU and the other organizations
which occurs if the State program (see paragraph 2.2) approved the questions of
upgrading and intensifying the Grid infrastructure communication sector must be
posed already now.
Among the first and foremost tasks in this direction the following ones
should be mentioned:
1. Increasing the capacity of inter-regional and intracity channels no less
than to 1 Gbit/seс. There are two aspects here, technical and financial. The tech-
nical component (laying the new or replacing the existing fiber optic channels and
installation of the corresponding equipment) can be solved at the expense of the
State program means. The payment of required traffic by cluster owners is (at cur-
rent prices and level of financing the budgetary organizations) the great problem
which should be solved in a centralized way. This question is now at the stage of
discussing and searching the possible ways of solution.
2. The channels of going out the Ukraine bounds require a serious improve-
ment (strengthening). Now the agreement is signed between URAN and GEANT-
Fig. 1. Fiber optic channels for UNGI
2.5 Gbps
1-2 Mbps or less
2008
Gbps or higher
2009
2007
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 41
2 which claims Ukraine is provided by all the attainments of European academic
net, but the main problem here is payment for traffic, again. It appears that at cur-
rent financial opportunities of the NASU institutes it is more profitable to use the
other channels of going out of the Ukraine boundaries.
So today we see unfortunately more problems than achievements in National
Grid communication sector. But we are sure these problems will be resolved in
the nearest future.
2. UKRAINIAN NATIONAL GRID
2.1. Necessity, tasks and goals
Information technologies have already begun the inalienable part of economical
and social life of modern society, but many countries feel the deficit of informa-
tion, computing capacities for research and a progress in solving actual scientific-
technical and social problems. The number of different tasks which are solved by
the using the computers, their complexity and resource-intensiveness are rapidly
increasing. The tasks which cannot be solved for reasonable time by the personal
computers or in the separate computer centers appears more often. Such tasks in-
clude, for example, online maximally detailed environment monitoring, real-time
mode control of increasing transport threads, modeling of complex processes in
modern high-technology production, economic and social prognosis. The exam-
ples of scientific problems, such as experimental data processing and analysis in
high energy physics, deciphering animals and plants genomes, new medical prod-
ucts modeling and constructing, have already become proverbial. There are no
enough the supercomputers in Ukraine which can be compared to the best world
examples that is why in order to solve aforementioned and similar tasks the other
methods must be used. There are the Grid technologies which can and must soften
and, perhaps, remove the deficit of highest class computational resources in
Ukraine.
In conditions of world economy globalization, growth of world companies
and corporations with geographically distributed departments, the role of distrib-
uted control systems increases. In their activity planning, it is necessary to take
into account not only the market needs, but also the peculiarities and state of
economies of many countries and regions of the world. Analysis of such polyva-
lent tasks can be the most effective at uniting efforts of groups and collectives
from many countries. Similarly, the share of large international projects increases
in scientific research.
WLCG (Worldwide LHC Computing Grid) and EGEE (Enabling Grids for
E-sciencE) projects are the examples of modern level of different institutes and
laboratories cooperation for running large-scale scientific research. It is notable,
that in EGEE, range of interests and application being developed spread from mi-
cro and macro world problems to tasks of medicine, business, and industry.
Thus, the necessity of creating National Grid infrastructure in Ukraine is
conditioned by both internal and external factors. The task actuality and Ukrain-
ian Grid availability don't even require the detailed documentation; it is enough to
refer to world tendencies in the field of information computing technologies.
The main goals of national Ukrainian Grid are:
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 42
1) creating the powerful information computing environment for solving sci-
entific and practical computer tasks of any complexity;
2) providing the wide access to computational resources for specialists who
need extraordinary computational capacities for research and solving scientific,
scientific-technical and the other tasks;
3) integrating the Ukrainian institutes, establishments and separate special-
ists into the world Grid community, their participation in the international re-
search and technical projects.
2.2. Program of Grid technology development in Ukraine
Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics of NASU propounded the initiative
to develop the State scientific-technical Program of Grid technology development
in Ukraine. Such a Program was oriented in the name of NASU and MESU and
presented to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. It is assumed that Program will
be financed mainly from state budget, and that it will be performed during five
years starting on 2009.
The modern state of Grid technologies in Ukraine is represented in the Pro-
gram in the following way. “The main problem is that for now in Ukraine exists
the critical need of using modern information-communication technologies (in the
first place, Grid technologies) for processing the super large arrays in the inter-
ests of science, industry, and social sphere, but the necessary national Grid struc-
ture is absent. Presence of such infrastructure separate elements does not meet
the modern level of Grid technologies development, and does not assist to solving
the whole line of actual scientific, scientific-technical and some other problems,
holds back European integration processes in these fields”.
In Program the reasons of such a state are analyzed, necessity of building
National Grid is proved, fields of possible use of Grid technologies are enumer-
ated, economical and social gains which can be received as the result of Program
execution, are stressed.
“Goal of the program is national Grid infrastructure creation, and wide
implementation of Grid technologies into all the spheres of social-economical
life in Ukraine.
Program priority tasks are:
1. creation the system, taking into account the information safety providing,
integration of necessary elements of one national Grid: computing, communica-
tion and program resources;
2. Grid technologies adaptation and application in Ukrainian multi-
processor computational systems;
3. Grid technologies implementation and application in scientific research,
integration of Ukrainian scientific establishments into the world scientific space,
attraction of Ukrainian scientists to participation in modern unique experiments
and computer processing of their results, to participation in virtual scientific fo-
rums;
4. implementation of new methods of population medical service (creation of
distributed diagnostic data bases, consultation with the use of telecommunication
means, including large scale computer data analysis);
5. providing efficient, real-time processing the results of geophysical, mete-
orological, and space observations;
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 43
6. creating conditions for grid technologies implementation in economics,
industry, financial activity, and social sphere;
7. creating the system of training specialists for the work with grid technolo-
gies.
Computer resources, different at technical realization and at the type of con-
struction with the purpose of providing user with the aggregate computer re-
source, will be united into the single system. User will get service from grid infra-
structure as from the system in whole, independently on where and what computer
stores or processes his information, what transmission lines work at this. Creat-
ing such systems will radically increase the efficiency of using the aggregate
computer resources of the country, will give in the main new possibilities for solv-
ing the complex scientific-technical and practical tasks and problems.”
2.3. Premises for UNGI creation
The decision was taken to create Ukrainian National Grid proceeding from the
existing projects: NASU and MESU and to use the already existing and working
Grid infrastructure of National Academy of Science as the basis.
Due to the terminology accepted in EGI the infrastructure being created re-
ceived the name Ukrainian National Grid Initiative (UNGI). Each project as it
was already mentioned above has features and properties which can provide
UNGI functionality and efficiency:
NASU MESU
High-productive computational resources.
Practical experience of creating academic
Grid infrastructure.
International relations, participation in
CERN and WLCG work.
Presence of specialists on computer tech-
nologies in specialized institutes of
NASU.
Experience in scientific computer applica-
tions development.
Develop the UARNET communication
network.
Powerful KPI computational cluster.
Wide net of educational resources in the
country regions.
Possibility of training the specialists in the
Grid technologies.
Experience of solving computer tasks in
technical applications.
Certification Center, collaboration with
EUGridPMA.
World data Center Ukrainian Branch.
Telecommunication URAN worknet, col-
laboration with GEANT.
The Grid network created in NASU exists less than three years but in spite
of limited financing it was turned into rather powerful computational resource. It
is expected that in the nearest future it will be considerably increased. For the
time being ARC NorduGrid is mainly used in UAG but on some nodes gLite
software is already installed; it was accepted as a standard in European Grid or-
ganizations. High speed optical channels for UAG are supported by UARNet -
(Ukranian Academic & Research NETwork) State enterprise and Scientific-
communication center. It is very important that, understanding the Grid technolo-
gies prospect and being the establishment created in NAS of Ukraine, UARNET
granted free traffic on speed 100 Mbps for connection between clusters of NAS of
Ukraine. Thus, the basis of national Grid resource-technical base already exists.
There are specialists (though few for now) who have almost mastered Grid tech-
nologies, and can share their knowledge with all the future participants of UNGI.
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 44
It must be noted that UAG is the infrastructure intended mainly for solving
tasks of computational character though the possibilities of Grid technologies are
much wider. Using the Grid technologies in the tasks of technological and social
processes control, in medical service, in the system of electronic libraries and mu-
seums, in banking, transport and may other spheres has big perspectives as the
world experience shows. For example, it is a need in organizing information-
computing support of special equipment of collective use. The devices of such a
kind include telescopes, microscopes, measuring equipment, research platforms,
controlled machines, sensors, etc.
World Data Center (WDC) began its autonomic work in Ukraine from
2008. Ukrainian scientists and specialists can now count on using the large data
volumes from different fields which can be processed in united cluster network.
At creating Ukrainian WDC the following tasks were put: creation of analytic
system for data initial collecting and processing; data sources search; establishing
direct and feedback between the centers, design and development of data base
subject to information objects safekeeping; data base completion with information
objects; design and development of corresponding software. All these tasks and
problems expect international cooperation at their solving. As Ukrainian WDC is
created at NTUU “Kiev Polytechnic Institute”, which is the basic one in MES
project, it is natural to expect that directions of UNGI activity close to it will be
performed by specialists from NTUU “KPI”.
Undoubtedly, part of the UNGI work important in the education is also the
sphere of responsibility of that UNGI part which grows out of the MESU project.
Certainly, in the process of educating the specialists on Grid technologies, NASU
will not stand by but in the conditions of Grid technologies use, educational base,
programs, and tutorials must be created mainly in educational establishments.
In the plans of UNGI development considerable place is occupied by using
of information-computing technologies of Medical Sciences (Ministry of Health
of Ukraine) from medicine clinics and hospitals will be interested to use The Grid
infrastructure of Ukraine to raise the level of servicing patients to the far higher,
system level.
In the institutes of NASU, the educational institutes and universities of
MESU and also in establishments of the other ministries and departments there
are many computer specialists of a very high level. It is also necessary to organize
the work in such a way to arouse these experts interest in new technologies to
demonstrate perspectives and possibilities. The very considerable aspect must be
development and realization of the new specialist training programs in higher
educational establishments. No doubt that Grid technologies implementation will
require a great number of young ambitious people to this new IT sphere. Taking
into account novelty of the matter, perspectives and world tendencies in the field
of Grid technologies, it must be achieved that the staff of any institute, university,
establishment which has computing resources, were jobs of system administrators
with the level of salary which will eliminate the large wastage of such specialists
into commercial structures where IT specialist’s wage fund is much higher now.
2.4. Principles of UNGI creation and functioning
Defining the principles of national Grid infrastructure organization and work, we
came from understanding that Grid infrastructure and three its components (com-
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 45
putational resources, software, communication channels) must meet the following
requirements:
1. wide representation of academic, educational, industrial and the other
components of society;
2. support of the infrastructure development on the state level program;
3. international standards of Grid infrastructure control and work;
4. affirmed center for international certificate authorities;
5. high level of computer safety;
6. high speed Internet channels and connection to European GEANT network.
Taking into account the fact that national Grid infrastructure will be built as
interdepartmental organization we consider that it must have multilevel hierarchy
with the elements of centralized management which takes into account peculiari-
ties of Grid technologies use in different departments and regions. This is the
variant which will enable to take in account maximally the specific conditions and
demands of the UNGI participants not only during the exploitation but also at the
stage of design, it will provide fast users integration into the international Grid
projects and organizations.
According to Memorandum which was signed by each participant UNGI is
the voluntary, equal in rights association of scientific-technical, educational,
industrial, and the organizations of Ukraine interested in development and imple-
mentation of Grid technologies in their activity, in integration with European and
world Grid society. UNGI is the continuously working association opened at
every stage of its development for attracting new participants from Ukraine. It is
expected that, besides academic and educational establishments, UNGI will in-
clude establishments from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and Com-
munication, Ministry of Economics, National Space Agency, and many other
departments (fig. 2). Virtual organizations formed within UNGI can interact with
international VOs both directly and through UNGI coordinating bodies.
Organizationally (scheme is given in fig. 3), the work of UNGI is defined by
Coordination Council, where all the participants of integration are represented.
Coordination Council elaborates strategy and tactics of UNGI development and
activity, works out principal decisions which are proposed for approval at general
meeting or at UNGI conference which are held at least once a year. Coordination
EGI, EGEE, RDIG
Ukrainian VOs
(physics, biology, chemistry,
medicine,industry,
ecology…)
International VOs
WLCG, EGEE, EGI,
AstroGrid, BioGrid,
MedGrid, …)
Ministries and Departments
Fig. 2. UNGI and interaction between Ukrainian and international VOs
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 46
Council, together with educational establishments, elaborates politics and educa-
tional programs in the sphere of training the specialists on Grid technologies.
UNGI executive committee realizes all the current UNGI activity, provides
financing of projects, supports international contracts, gives needed assistance to
work groups on all levels.
The UNGI functioning as an infrastructure is coordinated by Basic Coordi-
nating Center (BCC) which consists of working groups dealing with research,
technical and software support of all the infrastructure elements.
It is expected that UNGI BCC will be created on the basis of structures of
the existing Ukrainian Academic Grid control. Range of Center tasks include:
1. creation and development of regional resource centers;
2. providing of basic and regional centers uninterrupted functioning; devel-
opment of Ukrainian Grid segment net infrastructure;
3. integration with the resources of EGEE and the other international Grid
projects and organizations;
4. testing and certification of Grid clusters and software;
5. registration and support of users and virtual organizations, archiving of re-
serve copies and access protocols, monitoring, auditing.
The main work on support of full-functional, stable and safe UNGI work is
entrusted to working groups who work within BCOC as well as within ROC
along with Virtual Organizations Resource Centers (VORC). These groups are
created at activity directions, and it is not necessary that group members are con-
centrated in one establishment. Let us note that the proposed system of working
groups is till the certain point similar to that accepted in EGEE (NA, SA, JRA
directions). Such system fully corresponds with distributed nature of Grid infra-
structure itself, and allows to involve the most qualified experts into solving of
A d m I n I s t r a t I n g a n d c o o r d I n a t I n g l e v e l
EExxeeccuuttiinngg CCoouunncciill UUNNGGII
International
ccooooppeerraattiioonn
Finance
CCoooorrddiinnaattiioonn CCoouunncciill UUNNGGII
Basic
Coordinating
Center
West West-
Center
Center North-
East
East South
Regional Operating Centers
Computing center
ICyb
Common resource UNGI
Computing center
KPI
Common resource UNGI
O p e r a t i n g a n d t e c h n I c a l l e v e l
Computing
learning and
training
CCoooorrddiinnaattoorr UUNNGGII
Grid-clusters, platforms of access, Virtual Organizations
Fig. 3. Ukrainian national Grid hierarchical structure
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 47
the tasks. Moreover, e.g., the task of permanent monitoring of the work of all in-
frastructure elements and services can be executed in turn by specialists from dif-
ferent Grid nodes.
Exemplary contents of BCC working groups and their main functions are
shown on fig. 4. ROC have similar structure (perhaps, with less number of groups
and functions). Certainly, in the process of program realization, contents and tasks
of the groups will be defined more exactly.
3. UNGI AND WORLD GRID SOCIETY
On April 25, 2005, Ukraine became officially the member of WLCG (Worldwide
LHC Computing Grid) which is for now the largest thematic Grid organization in
the world. The goal of WLCG is processing and analysis of experimental data
which will be coming from ATLAS, ALICE, CMS, LHCb, TOTEM LHCf detec-
tors installed in the LHC accelerator tunnel. More in detail, cluster of KPTU is
being prepared for CMS experiment data processing. In AliEnGrid infrastructure
which provides computational support of ALICE experiment, participants are In-
stitute of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Cybernetics and Kiev National Univer-
sity. Clusters of Kiev Polytechnic Institute and Institute of Scintillation Materials
are connected also. The considerable obstacle for more efficient participation of
the Ukrainian Grid clusters in CERN program is not enough capacity of the Inter-
net channels which connect clusters with CERN. The main peculiarity of tasks is
large data thread at loading and at finishing the tasks being solved. For efficient
task performing, high (0.1 – 0.2 Gbps) peak traffic through the channel is needed.
For now, question of payment for such traffic is not solved.
Head of BCC
International
cooperation
Resource
and
hardware
maintance
Software
support
Education
and train-
ing center
Computing
resources:
clusters,
storages
Network.
UARNET,
URAN,
GEANT
Soft
developing
Computing
security
Display
room.
Virtual grid
for training
Video-
conference
system
Installation
and support
of
middleware
Executing coordinator
Scientific
analytic
group
Developing
scientific and
technical
activity pro-
grams
of BCC and
UNGI
Seminars and
training in
grid
User
support
ROC
Support
VORC
support
Web-portal
UNGI
Information
services
WLCG,
other
inter-
netional
VO
Monitoring
UNGI
EGEE,
EGI
Training group
CA center
Information and publishing group
Fig. 4. Contents and functions of UNGI Basic Coordinating Center working groups
A. Zagorodny, M. Zgurovsky, G. Zinovjev, E. Martynov, A. Petrenko
ISSN 1681–6048 System Research & Information Technologies, 2009, № 2 48
In October 2007, at EGEE conference in Budapest it was announced that
Ukraine had became the associated member of this influential Grid project.
Within EGEE Ukrainian scientists intend to take part in the next directions and
working groups.
NA2 — control and coordination of Grid infrastructure activity on regional
level, creation of the site under the guise of UNGI-EGEE. Preparation of reports,
publications and materials about UNGI group, contacts with local information
agencies in order to spread information about the activity of UNGI and EGEE,
translation of EGEE documents, popularization of the knowledge on Grid
technologies.
NA3 — creation of central and regional Grid training centers. Development
of teaching materials (presentations, lectures, Web pages, tutorials), holding regu-
lar seminars on theory and practice of Grid technologies. Creating virtual Grid
systems and thematic virtual organizations for practical learning in center and re-
gions.
SA1 — accounting management and support in UNGI. Interaction with na-
tional and international Grids, creation, coordination, and support of national Grid
applications. Software support and deployment for UNGI sites, Grid services pro-
viding and national Grid infrastructure monitoring. Giving online assistance to
UNGI users. Creating regional ticketing system and UNGI cooperation with
GGUS. Coordination of all computer safety aspects in UNGI.
SA2 — operational procedures updating and improvement. Procedures stan-
dartization, and interaction of different Grid systems. Relationship between users
and providers.
SA3 — creation of administration system for timely elimination of problems
which appear on UNGI sites.
SA4 — introduction and adaptation of GILDA software into UNGI, opera-
tional support of GILDA portal in UNGI.
In May 2007, Ukraine signed Memorandum on UNGI participation in pan-
European EGI organization which is being created. According to plan, this
organization is at stage of forming and developing the activity program till 2010,
and then, after finishing the EGEE-III project, it will take all the EGEE functions.
Ukraine takes part in discussing the EGI program, and it will continue the work
which it performs and plans to perform within EGEE. In is expected that, by de-
veloping and activating UNGI, Ukrainian participants will enhance involvement
in EGEE and EGI, taking part in the other working groups, besides the aforemen-
tioned ones.
The main astronomic observatory of NAS of Ukraine signed the agreement,
and together with AstroGrid-D develops the European system of specialized
GRAPE/GPU Grid clusters which are used extremely effectively for solving the
line of astrophysical and astronomical tasks.
Institutes of biological specialization of NAS of Ukraine began actively to
establish contacts with Grid projects the goal of which is solving scientific and
practical problems in life sciences. In UNGI plans, the wish to collaborate with
foreign colleagues in Grid technologies applications of practical medicine is
marked.
Institute for Space Research began the fruitful collaboration with Chinese
colleagues in the sphere of geosciences. In particular, there were performed moni-
toring, including that by the help of satellite observations data, and research of
water resources of surface of someone (dangerous because of possible floods)
Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure
Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології, 2009, № 2 49
water resources of different regions in Ukraine and China. Negotiations are hold
about creating the virtual organization which would focus n geophysical research,
within EGEE.
National technical university “Kiev Polytechnic Institute” has joined the
Association of universities of countries of the black Sea region (Greece, Bulgaria,
Romania, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine) with a goal of research and educational
resources virtualization in these universities with the help of Grid technologies for
supporting joint master's degree training programs.
It is far not the full list of interests and plans of UNGI participants' interna-
tional contacts, this being the proof that Ukraine has scientific and resource poten-
tial for wide participation in the international and versatile Grid projects.
CONCLUSION
Thus, summarizing all that have been said about the statues of Grid technologies
in Ukraine we should assert the matter of creating full-function national Grid in-
frastructure is successfully completed (albeit with some delay). Initial material
technical base is already created, understanding of the task importance is present,
mutual understanding is achieved between the main participants and executors.
There is no doubt that in the nearest future Ukrainian National Grid will demon-
strate an active and fruitful work and will be reliably integrated into the European
and world Grid society.
REFERENCES
1. Grid computing. A vertical market perspective. — http://www.insight-corp.com.
2. http://web.eu-egi.eu/.
3. Zgurovsky M.Z. Development of Educational and Research Segment of Information
Society in Ukraine // Proc. WSIS . — Tunis. — 2004. — P. 103–107.
4. Zgurovsky M.Z. Development of Educational and Research Segment of Information
Society in Ukraine // Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології. —
2006. — № 1. — С. 7–17.
5. Petrenko A.I. Development of Grid-infrastructure for Educational and Research seg-
ment of Information Society in Ukraine with focus on Ecological monitoring and
Telemedicine // Data Science Journal. — 6. — Supplement, 14 April 2007. —
P. 583–590.
6. Петренко А.І. Національна Grid-інфраструктура для забезпечення наукових
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2008. — № 1. — C. 79–92.
7. Петренко А.І. Вступ до Grid-технологій в науці і освіті (навчальний по-
сібник). — Київ: Політехніка. — 2008. — 124 c.
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Received 28.01.2009
From the Editorial Board: the article corresponds completely to submitted manu-
script.
|
| id | journaliasakpiua-article-107850 |
| institution | System research and information technologies |
| keywords_txt_mv | keywords |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-07-17T10:22:35Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| publisher | The National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" |
| record_format | ojs |
| resource_txt_mv | journaliasakpiua/1d/7b33794cd1f7aaab0eb75a7c521c291d.pdf |
| spelling | journaliasakpiua-article-1078502018-04-06T12:34:45Z Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure Интегрирование Украины в европейскую грид-инфраструктуру Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру Zagorodny, А. Zgurovsky, М. Zinovjev, G. Martynov, E. Petrenko, А. Ukrainian Grid community has established Ukrainian National Grid Initiative (UNGI) which has joined up the major active European projects EGEE and EGI. The community of objectives based on the involvement in world leading scientific projects is elucidated. General features of UNGI and European Grid structures and projects together with various Grid-based applications supported by UNGI are discussed. Current UNGI activities and its future plans in view of realistic computational and human resources are described. The problems and prospects of rapidly progressing Ukrainian Grid infrastructure on the way of international cooperation and integration are illuminated. Украинские специалисты в области грид-технологий начали реализацию Украинской национальной грид-инициативы (УНГИ), которая входит в главные действующие европейские проекты EGEE и EGI. Обоснована перспективность и необходимость участия в ведущих мировых научных проектах. Рассматриваются общие черты и характеристики УНГИ, а также европейских грид-структур и проектов, акцентируется внимание на возможности решения прикладных грид-задач в рамках УНГИ. Представляются современное состояние УНГИ, ее вычислительный и кадровый потенциал. Описываются проблемы и перспективы развития УНГИ, а также пути и способы международной кооперации. Українські фахівці з грід-технологій розпочали реалізацію Української національної грід-ініціативи (УНГІ), що входить до головних діючих європейських проектів EGEE та EGI. Обґрунтовано перспективність і необхідність участі в провідних світових наукових проектах. Розглядаються загальні риси і властивості УНГІ та європейських грід-структур і проектів, акцентується увага на можливості вирішувати прикладні грід-задачі у рамках УНГІ. Представлено сучасний стан УНГІ, її обчислювальний і кадровий потенціал. Описуються проблеми і перспективи розвитку УНГІ, а також шляхи і способи міжнародної кооперації. The National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" 2009-06-19 Article Article application/pdf https://journal.iasa.kpi.ua/article/view/107850 System research and information technologies; No. 2 (2009); 35-49 Системные исследования и информационные технологии; № 2 (2009); 35-49 Системні дослідження та інформаційні технології; № 2 (2009); 35-49 2308-8893 1681-6048 en https://journal.iasa.kpi.ua/article/view/107850/102796 Copyright (c) 2021 System research and information technologies |
| spellingShingle | Zagorodny, А. Zgurovsky, М. Zinovjev, G. Martynov, E. Petrenko, А. Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title | Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title_alt | Integrating Ukraine into European Grid infrastructure Интегрирование Украины в европейскую грид-инфраструктуру |
| title_full | Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title_fullStr | Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title_full_unstemmed | Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title_short | Інтегрування України в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| title_sort | інтегрування україни в європейську грід-інфраструктуру |
| url | https://journal.iasa.kpi.ua/article/view/107850 |
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