Access Grid

[Mark Hereld]

All --

Startlingly few days remain before the first Chautauqua at which, according to our original plan, 6 leading edge Access Grid sites would have at least one each Access Grid Nodes up and running while one of three Chautauqua sites hosted a distributed meeting with much Fanfare and Hooha.  In very broad brush stroke, the situation is as follows: Leading Edge Access Grid Sites 1 (ANL, full compliance) and Chautauqua sites 2 (UKY and UNM, each at better than half compliance).  Time to play catch up.  We are well past time to order hardware.  It should all be in and installed, or nearly so.  You should also be fully functional in the installation, care, feeding, and effective use of a number of tools... as well as fully engaged in the backchannel communications needed to keep an interactive distributed meeting flowing and going.  By now each Access Grid node should have:

(*)	two to three AG technicians to handle AG node operation

(*)	linux box for video capture w/boards
(*)	linux box for audio capture w/boards
(*)	NT box for display w/boards
(*)	Win98 box for control
(*)	networked
(*)	mbone enabled
(*)	echo cancel gear (either 3 box, or new-fangled 1 box solution)
(*)	cables
(*)	3 projectors
(*)	real estate
(*)	3 cameras
(*)	3 mics

(*)	vic, rat, etc. -- latest copies installed, configured
(*)	mud installed and expertly used
(*)	echo cancellation gear configuration

(*)	distributed power point (dPPT)
(*)	video resource manager -- downloaded, installed, configured, running
(*)	multicast beacon -- downloaded, installed, second nature

Score 1 point for each (*) that you have under your belt.  If you scored less than 15 out of 19, then you are holding up the progress of the Access Grid and in danger of having your license revoked.  You get the idea.

Many of you have very little of the prescribed hardware in hand.  Many more of you haven't downloaded or installed much of the AG specific code, tools, and glue.

-- Mark and Terry