NanoCruise6 and NanoCruise7, not necessarily in that order

[Mark Hereld]

All --

The NanoCruise5 title contained a typo.  It should have read "Four Four Four".  It was nonetheless productive.  In addition to the Access Grid Core Sub-Alliance (ANL, UKy, and NMU), we were joined by BU for the first time!  The NMU folks gave a local demo of their interactive VR lab to a group of students and allowed us to peer (in both senses) into the demo from our virtually there (again, in both senses) AG nodes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next week we will try to conquer two new peaks, maybe three, maybe four.  The order that we attack these in will depend on how quickly we can get the bits and pieces packaged up for distribution.  Tentatively scheduled will be:

A. "Integrating an App: Remote Interaction with High Performance Vis on the AG"

The impetus for this comes out of discussions we had (using the AG) while Tom Caudell was on line during nCruise5.  We talked about steering his FLATLAND remotely over the Access Grid and what it would take.  The "CMT" application developed here at Argonne has such a capability.  The visualization of, for example, a volume rendered sample from the APS can be controlled with a Java GUI at a remote site while the app sends out a video stream over the mbone session.  Joe Insley, I, and others are packaging this one and hope to give NMU and UKy a chance to drive.

B. "AG ResourceManagers and the AG NodeManager"

We will be describing, installing, and testing tools that will allow us to manage the video, audio, and other resources that are part of each node.  These will form the basis for automatic configuration and booting of the nodes, as well as the framework for supporting the abstractions that drive and describe the interactions between the Agenda, the People, and the Hardware.

And on the near horizon...?

C. "Integrating an App: Tango"

D. "Ruthless Efficiency, and an Almost Fanatical Devotion to the Pope"

Actually I by the time I got to this point in the note, I forgot what I had in mind when I hinted at maybe-maybe-four.  Have no fear: There is a Next Step.  We have but to find it.

-- Mark