Glenna2/SG-Meeting-2017-03-23
Glenna2 steering group meeting
Time: Thursday 2017-03-23 at 12:00-15:00 CET
Place: VideoConference https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/g4g5nyl5glc66wqgbqk4yjvb4ua
Approved: 2017-04-18
Invitations:
- Martin Bech, representing DeIC, DK
- Jussi Heikonen, representing CSC, FI
- Magnús Gíslason, representing CSUI, IS
- Olav Kvittem, representing UNINETT Sigma2, NO
- Andreas Hellander, representing SNIC, SE
- Dan Still Project Manager representing NeIC
- Michaela Barth, NeIC Executive Manager, representing NeIC, Chair
Location
Google Hangouts https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/g4g5nyl5glc66wqgbqk4yjvb4ua
Links
- Project internal wiki: https://wiki.neic.no/int/Glenna2
- Project public homepage: https://wiki.neic.no/wiki/Glenna2
Preliminary Agenda
- Glenna2 SG 17-19. Welcome and Presence
- Glenna2 SG 17-20. Report from Project Manger
- Glenna2 SG 17-21. Glenna2 PM allocations and hiring
- Glenna2 SG 17-22. NeIC Announcements
- Glenna2 SG 17-23. Confirmation to collect contact details to SG members on NeIC website
- Glenna2 SG 17-24. Informal self-assessment of the SG
- Glenna2 SG 17-25. AOB
- Glenna2 SG 17-26. Next meeting
Minutes
Glenna2 SG 17-19. Welcome and Presence
(5 min)
Magnús Gíslason to largest extent absent (technical difficulties). Jussi Heikonen joined at 2pm CET (advance notice given). All others present.
Decision:
Quorum reached.
Glenna2 SG 17-20. Report on Project Plan from Project Manger
(25 min) https://docs.google.com/document/d/14wCXkXG7ceoXsQDpomi5Extx0KQe915PG7aoMghqiUI
Presentation of first version of project plan. Some deliverables are still waiting for input.
In particular the following targets need further consideration:
- OwnCloud/NextCloud development where DK, NO, FI all have existing development efforts in this area.
- Combination of OwnCLoud work to UiO Backup as a Service suggestion ?
- Object storage work proposed by UiB could that also fit above targets?
- Should Glenna2 aid in hosting a common GitLab service for CodeRefinery.
Decide on decision points. Proposal: DP& after every deliverable.
Discussion:
Dan participated in NorduNWP meeting and talked to contacts from FMI and SMHI about potential use case participation. He was also meeting with Gard from Norway.
Project objective and objective priority contains concrete interpretation already
Coordinators:
- Aim1: Kalle Happonen (planned, but not agreed and confirmed)
- Aim2: Gurvinder Singh (fixed)
- Aim3: Salman Thor (fixed)
- Aim4: NN (Dan?)
Aim1 target 1:
- eduGAIN access for data.dk: already there (since very recently, Kaspar was involved in this)
- LifePortal also has EduGain access option in Portal (Lifeportal admin was at the NeIC AHM )
Aim1 target 2:
- with Norwegian contribution from UH Sky
- in Sweden: Ingemar is working on the monitoring _now_
- need to get CSC on speed as well!
- if no coordination, Sweden will come up with its own solution, should do this in a collaborative effort instead!!
Aim1 target 3:
- 6 months sounds reasonable
- also here more coordination needed!
- Ideal to talk about that also on the kick-off.
Aim1 target 4:
- not immediately start with this, more a potential target
- Fien to have it there, so we don’t forget it. Suggestion: Could be put into Aim4 instead or aim2?
- Decision: move it over to aim2
The Aim team leaders will decide about the distribution of work, we need names of who is working in which team, not more details on the target level.
Using Gantt charts in the planning discussion?
- Gantt charts supposed to help in the planning to find dependencies and resource overlap.
- Team leaders will have to report something to the steering group.
- Otherwise as from the lessons learned from Glenna1 the SG prefers a more agile way of working and tackling the problem and refocus every 6 months!
- Are there any requirements from NeIPs we need to cover?
- Real development needs to be agile anyway.
- Suggestion/Decision: task team leaders with developing 6-months short term plans including objectives: short term goal and deliverables should exist, define small steps along the way. -> very convenient for SG to compare promises to reality: reality check every 6 months.
Aim2: target1:
Red Hats OpenShift environment a priority in FI, Trondheim is working on Kubernetes! Nice synergies! Also interesting for OwnCloud/ NextCloud. (OpenShift is Red Hats interpretation of Kubernetes).
FI: name change from Blueprints to Pebbels
NO: even planning to put their Norstore (the future own cloud, next cloud installation) into Kubernetes.
important objective: get all Nordic Kubernetes clusters to work together trough Ubernetes! (This is why we have Gurvinder as Team lead for Aim2)
We need a further target focusing on collaboration of data sets. (Following the model of OpenScience Data Cloud) Andreas will contact Dan separately with a proposal and market it to the other SG members? Olav is interested. (side node: Object storage in Bergen with Backup as a service). Some immature services are available, combine them.)
Not everything has to be done at the same time (just a placeholder target, until situation gets more clear) -> with moved target from aim 1, we’ll also have 3 targets in aim2
Aim3 target1: Alice has their “cluster” within OpenStack (cPouta) up and running in the cloud since a year ago. Everyone can benefit of this technology.
Aim3 target2:
Aim3 target3:
- run HPC style work loads (e.g. using MPI) in a virtual machine (you can buy this from from Microsoft Azure right now)
- Met-offices would also be interested in this!
Aim4:
- Mail address glenna-support@neic.nordforsk.org linked to CSC ticketing system already working
- how to subscribe?
- We need a Nordic ticketing system
In the Gardar project on Iceland: the support queue for that was organized as one common malinglist that queues on all our different support systems as receivers. → 4 separate queues bound to one mailing list. (doesn’t scale well, but… :-) )
No discussion yet on how much effort to put in which aim:
Plan: SE: 0.25FTE into aim4 and increase on demand. NO: no discussion yet. DK neither
For any kind of users we need some type of support
Aim4 deliverables: Provide advanced user support services and training
- working ticketing system with users?
- Cookbook recipes FAQs as a potential deliverable in Aim4
- easy user access to resources: support queue, documentation, BPGs, usability….. also funding and reimbursement falls into this.
- organized (dev-ops) workshops held
https://cloud.snic.se/index.php/advanced-user-support/
Further discussion:
- How measure KPI? Excellent papers by researchers using Glenna resources? → would depend on a grant? Get user stories interviews, feedbacks (click on a smiley on the website + statistics)
- What is our Flagship target, that is Glenna2 specific? What would constitute "amazing" success?
- Kick off: location not agreed, slightly nicer location this time, potentially close to Arlanda. SG members are invited.
CodeRefinery GitLab hosting:
- DK thinking about a bare metal solution
- Does this touch the Glenna project in any way? Cloud IaaS environments would be good solutions, otherwise no connection.
- not money for IaaS, but for operation and support (availability)
- Code produced in Glenna aims: put it on Github!
Decision(s):
- Move target 4 in Aim1 over to Aim2
- No explicit GANTT chart. instead shorter descriptions per task
- team leaders should develop 6-months short term plans including objectives: reality check every 6 months if those short term goals and deliverables were reached.
- No objections against any of the proposed target deliverables. Work in the project has started based on current draft of project plan and suggested changes (DP4p).
- There is a need of a further target focusing on collaboration of data sets
- DP after each deliverable
- PM to start organizing project Kick Off
- Communicate SUPR:s potential as a tool for resource allocation across Nordics to Dellinger
Glenna2 SG 17-21. Glenna2 PM allocations and hiring
20 mins
Current status on staffing
Discussion:
FI:
- Dan 80% 9,6 PMs
- Kalle Happonen 4.25 PM
- N.N (was Pinja Koskinen) 5 PM, replacement promised
- Sebastian von Alfthan 1 PM
- Apurva Nandan 1PM
- Jyry S 1PM
SE:
- Salman Toor 3 PM? (30% should be 4 PMs)
- Ingemar Fällman 2PM?
- Lars Viklund (25% in aim4 and 25% in aim3)
- → will be close to 2 FTEs (depending .. If UPPMAX can’t deliver Andreas will go on to KTH)
NO:
- Jarle Bjørgeengen 0.7 FTE
- Andreas Solberg 200 hours
- Jon Kåre Hellan 250 hours
- Gurvinder Singh 350 hours
DK:
- Kasper Sort 100%
- other person: currently on parental leave
Decision: N/A
Glenna2 SG 17-22. NeIC Announcements
Recent sickness of Michaela has shown that NeIC is operating on a very thin layer. Now within the NeIC XT procedures are being introduced to provide a minimum level of resilience without unplanned ad-hoc replacements: All important upcoming meetings will be assigned with a "back-up" person representing NeIC as project owner. Upcoming stakeholder meetings will be put on the table at least once a week and back-ups being volunteered.
New NeIC structure
As of April the NeIC Executive team (XT) will be smaller with only
- Gudmund Høst as Director
- Robert L. Pennington as Senior Advisor
- Kine Nordstokkå as Administrator
and the two Executive Managers acting together as the Project Office:
- Michaela Barth
- Tomasz Malkiewicz
The two Executive Managers are taking care of all the projects and the Nordic Tier 1
For more transparency between the projects also the Project Managers are organized in a new Project Manager Forum, where they are expected to profit of each other’s experiences and exchange their knowledge in practical project leading aspects. Together with the NeIC XT the Project Managers form the Extended Executive Team (XXT) which meets about 4 times a year.
Suggestion for good KPI:s
In the funding application towards the Nordic Research Council (RCN) together with UNINETT SIGMA 2 and also in preparation to a similar exercise as part of the Finnish Academia of Science evaluation, NeIC has seen the importance of easily understandable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). All the projects are requested to come up with such KPIs. The NeIC XT will also propose some KPIs which should be valuable for all NeIC projects. The SG is supposed to define the more project specific KPIs. Good KPIs are measurable and quantifiable.
Discussion:
(We want happy users, How do we measure happy users?)
Defining measurable results in Glenna1 was a slight problem: we only had the survey as a basis for statistics. Could we require the visibility of funding on all the services we support via Glenna? The Danish idea of having a smiley button to click on after having used the service sounds like a good idea for producing relevant statistics.
Decision:
- AP on all SG members: come up with a list of good KPIs until next time.
Glenna2 SG 17-23. Confirmation to collect contact details to SG members on NeIC website
Discussion:
https://neic.nordforsk.org/about/team/glenna2-sg/
Decision:
- SG is okay that their names and email addresses are to be published on the NeIC website
Glenna2 SG 17-24. Informal self-assessment
Discussion:
- Good discussion, also technical (which might be good and bad)
- Reaching good decisions
- Meeting culture could be more condensed, feels slow
- Steep learning curve concerning the other NeIPs and their environment
- Dynamics of the group is improving
- Discussions are getting better and better.
- Hoping for more high level discussions once the project is started.
SG meetings also function as a communication channel of what we are doing in the Nordics right now.
Decision: We are doing good and are on track.
Glenna2 SG 17-25. AOB
Andreas showing a demo of SUPR and the Swedish Science Cloud integration into it.
(“SUPR is not pretty but it is working” :-) )
supr.snic.se
All Swedish resources are in there
round open for Swedish Science Cloud:
create new proposal for SNIC Science Cloud 2017
-> can all be done within SUPR.
-> put forward to review process.
once you have a project: add project members and administer them
as soon the project it is approved the OpenStack environment creation is automated and all the project member users are automatically created.
- hpc2n.cloud.snic.se/project/
- c3se.cloud.snic.se/project/
Could we use SUPR within Glenna?
- Problem of identity identification is delegated to the SUPR project.
- SUPR has been made for a distributed setup from the beginning.
- DK: not there yet to have such a portal on their own.
- Andreas: technologically easy to have SUPR to support eduGAIN
- SUPR doesn’t solve the billing problem. There is accounting (usage monitoring) via SAMS, but no billing.
(Finish tool used is built on different premises, it is not a distributed system)
How to get Nordic users access to SSC within Glenna2? Right now not administratively possible. Danish scientist could not be a PI.
You need OpenStack projects in order to access OpenStack resources.
Would this be Dellingr’s responsibility or Glenna’s? under which aim?
Decision: SG filing a request to the Dellingr project to have a target in their project to investigate SUPR as a Nordic solution (by adding eduGAIN support to SUPR).
Glenna2 SG 17-26. Next meeting
Decision:
Friday 9th of June 12:00 - 15:30 (online)