Cesga

 1 vote(s)

Tuesday 15/05/2012 11:39

• The CESGA and the Deps. Of Electronics and Computation and Physical of Particles of the USC develop a pioneering project in “the recycling” of computational resources.
• Formiga CLOUD Allows to take out more split the computers of the classrooms of computing, using them of way shared.
• It was necessary the utilisation of algorithms of planning advanced that include technicians of artificial intelligence based in neural networks.

In the actuality a lot of institutions like universities, institutes, schools, academies and diverse public organisms have of computer classrooms in which they accumulate a big quantity of computers. The Centre of Supercomputación of Galicia (CESGA) and the Departments of Electronics and Computation and Physical of Particles of the USC, are working in the creation of a Cloud formed by all these computers inside the project Formiga Cloud.

Every time it is more frequent in the majority of the scientific disciplines the use of simulations by computer, that in areas like the Genomic Medicine, Biotechnology, Climatology, etc., has generalised . However, as it signals the director of the project Formiga CLOUD, Javier Cacheiro López, Upper Technician of Systems of the CESGA, “in the actuality and given the present economic situation, does difficult purchase new platforms of computation, by what the reaprovechamiento of the existent computational resources does forced”. The Formiga Cloud allows to use better existent resources in the classrooms of computing, facilitating so much the realisation of courses like the realisation of scientific simulations, employing remote computers.

Taking out the maximum split to the existent resources

The Project consists in the creation of a platform Cloud (in the cloud), using the computers of classrooms of computing or of any another installation. Although initially it treated to take advantage of these resources infrautilizados to give to the greater researchers capacity of calculation, Formiga Cloud will allow besides the aprovechamiento of the infrastructure Cloud for the realisation of courses.

With this platform the professor has a lot of more flexibility to the hour to configure the teams and create the suitable surroundings to give the asignatura. Can deploy virtual computers in which the students will be able to modify the system in where they are realising the course, without fear to affect to the configuration of the classroom. To this virtual computer, previously created by the professor, will be possible to connect remotamente no only from the classrooms of computing but also from the personal teams of the alumnado. Of the same way, can carry in his devices of storage a copy of the virtual computer and work with him in his own team.

Formiga CLOUD Will allow besides that students situated in classrooms that have modest teams can realise his practices of simple form on remote machines more powerful, without need to have to change physically of classroom, increasing of this form the reuse of the resources. “We have to treat to achieve the maximum return of the investments done in the classrooms of computing”, signals Cacheiro López.

Scientific calculation in the Classrooms of Computing

The researchers also will be able to employ the Formiga Cloud to accelerate the realisation of scientific simulations. It has to take into account that only the University of Santiago has of more than 1.800 computers that could use of way shared for courses and for the realisation of simulations. Precisely “one of the main challenges of the project was to develop a new planificador that took into account the special characteristics of the computers of the classrooms that, on the contrary of what sucede in the platforms Cloud traditional, no only are not available in scoop for the platform but besides they can be turned off anytime by the students”. This did necessary the utilisation of algorithms of planning much more advanced including technical of artificial intelligence based in neural networks. Of this form evaluates the historical of availability of each one of the computers of a classroom and in base to these data do predictions of his future availability. Using these predictions evaluates cual is the best computer to execute a determinate work of simulation.

The project Formiga Cloud is funded by the Xunta de Galicia (09TIC001CT).

The first prototype of the project already is available in: http://formigacloud.cesga.es