SCIENCE & ENGINEERING NEWS

Champaign, IL — Developers of the NLANR Advanced Applications Database (AAD) are soliciting comments and suggestions about the database from users. A Web-based survey was released Oct. 17, and will be available online until the end of the year at http://dast.nlanr.net/Clearinghouse/websurvey.htm .

The Advanced Applications Database is an online resource offering information about projects, applications, and resources related to the use of high-performance networks. The only known repository of information about high-performance network applications, the AAD is a significant resource for researchers and faculty seeking to identify useful networking technologies, administrators looking for information on disciplinary and/or applications-based networking communities, and support personnel tasked with assisting users of high-speed networks. Entries in the AAD include initiatives such as Internet2, a university/government/industry consortium developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies; the Grid Forum, researchers and practitioners working together on distributed computing technologies; Legion, an object-based metasystems software project; and various collaborations enabled by the NSF-sponsored Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program.

The survey was prepared by NLANR Senior Project Manager and Clearinghouse Director George Brett and AAD Developer Ester Soriano. The pair collaborated on AAD design and implementation and are seeking input to increase the utility of the online resource. The survey asks about ways to improve or enhance the data, the automated reports, and existing AAD features.

“It is important that we meet the needs of our clients and we solicit their help in making that happen,” said Brett. He added that maintaining the existing records and adding to the collection are critical components of making AAD a significant resource to researchers and administrators.

Brett has been working with other organizations that have data collections to interest them in the AAD and to develop a standardized record structure. Such standardization can assure that the AAD continues as a useful tool in the future.

The National Laboratory for Applied Network Research is an NSF-supported collaboration to provide technical, engineering and traffic analysis support for NSF’s High Performance Connections sites and the broad vBNS user community. NLANR major activities are performed by three teams: a distributed applications support team based at the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications; a measurement and analysis team based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center; and a networking engineering support team based at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. For more information, see http://www.nlanr.net .

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is the leading-edge site for the National Computational Science Alliance. NCSA is a leader in the development and deployment of cutting-edge high-performance computing, networking, and information technologies. The National Science Foundation, the state of Illinois, the University of Illinois, industrial partners, and other federal agencies fund NCSA.

The Alliance is a partnership to prototype an advanced computational infrastructure for the 21st century and includes more than 50 academic, government and industry research partners from across the United States. The Alliance is one of two partnerships funded by the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program, and receives cost-sharing at partner institutions. NSF also supports the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (NPACI), led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

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