eScience Collaboration Tools: EVO & Access Grid

1. eScience Collaboration Tools: EVO & Access Grid Dr. Greg Wickham APAN 24th Jan 2008

2. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

3. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

4. Access Grid • What is an Access Grid? • A collaboration environment • Where? • “a venue” - A virtual location where people can meet • Collaboration? • Audio • Video • Shared applications • Shared Desktop • Shared Web Browser • Extensible • Shared Resources

5. Access Grid Cross platform: • Windows • Linux • Mac OSX • Technology: • Transmission: • Multicast (predominately) • Unicast (alternatively) • Venue server and client • Multiple computers combined in a node

6. Access Grid • Environment: • Room based (most common) • Multiple computers controlled by the Venue Client • Desktop (same software) • Community • http://www.accessgrid.org

7. Heritage • Heritage • MBone tools ( 90s’ ) • VIC – Video Conferenecing Application • RAT – Robost Audio Tool • Access Grid V1: • Venue Server concept • Access Grid V2: (2002) • Same (basic) tools • Globus Toolkit (Web Services) • Access Grid V3: (Aug ‘06) • Jabber client integration

8. AG Node

9. Access Grid • Monitors combined to increase screen area (ie: 3072 x 768 pixels) • Video Resolution: • Usually H.261 @ CIF (352 x 288) • c/w H.323 • University of Queensland has demonstrated HD integration • Enhanced VIC to display MPEG2

10. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has:

11. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms

12. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI

13. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI • a list of participants

14. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI • a list of participants • a chat client

15. VIC & RAT

16. Access Grid on a Desktop

17. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

18. The Tools: EVO • What is EVO? • A distributed collaboration tool incorporating: • Video • Audio • White Board • Share files • Where has EVO come from? • Funded by the High Energy Physics community (LHC) • Where is EVO going? • Gaining acceptance outside the HEP community • Support contracts available

19. So exactly what is EVO? • Closest Analogy “Desktop Based Access Grid” • Features: • Uses Java – No software needs to be installed • Firewall friendly • H.323 Integration • Desktop sharing • Whiteboard • Commercial support • SIP & POTS • Shibboleth Integration • Multilanguage

20. EVO Running

21. EVO Running Participants wearing headsets

22. EVO Running Speaker is emphasised

23. EVO Running Layout controlled automatically

24. Terminology • EVO – Enabling Virtual Organisations • Panda Server – Back end infrastructure • Koala – User client • Vievo – Video Conferencing Client • jRAT – Java Robust Audio Tool • EVOWB – White Board

25. Architecture • Each Koala connects into the ‘panda cloud’ • All traffic to/from a Koala is to a specific panda

26. Architecture • Panda servers exchange data (audio, video, etc) as necessary • The ‘panda cloud’ is hidden from the end user

27. Koala

28. Redundancy • Panda servers are the ‘data warehousing’ point • All users data is exchanged to the EVO environment through the chosen panda server • Upon connection the closest panda server is chosen • User can prefer another panda server

29. Redundancy • If the preferred panda server isn’t available – the next closest is chosen • No action’s required by the user

30. Monitoring

31. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

32. Feature Comparison • Other codecs available (ie: MPEG2, HDTV) although not in the current AGTk distibution • Multicast is the default; using a bridge Unicast is possible • Multicast available through the JANET UK community

33. Feature Comparison • Ports defined on Venue Server; Unicast ports can vary (range) • All traffic (video/audio/IM/Presence/booking/..) uses a well defined unique port • Yes if using Unicast • All video / audio handled through TCP connection to Panda

34. Feature Comparison

35. Feature Comparison • Using a gate keeper possible to dial into an MCU or the PSTN using a standard phone number • EVO Phone gateway in several places in US, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia

36. Feature Comparison • Chat is limited to the currently active room • Separate chat windows are maintained for each community and the currently active room

37. Feature Comparison • Different Node configurations managed through venue server; rich configuration of cameras available • Start additional cameras using ‘aux video’; camera control very simple

38. Feature Comparison • Shared Applications can be written an integrated into the AG environment

39. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

40. Summary • Access Grid and EVO are both powerful multi-user collaboration tools • Access Grid has: • A large user base • Strong community • EVO has: • Easy to use • Cross Platform (Uses Java)

41. Summary • Access Grid and EVO are both powerful multi-user collaboration tools • Access Grid has: • A large user base • Strong community • EVO has: • Easy to use • Cross Platform (Uses Java)

42. Summary • So which one to use … • Depends on the community … • Access Grid works very well in room based systems • EVO is a very simple desktop based system • Your choice! 