Infrastructure Description v3
Infrastructure Integration Roadmap Task
Task Type(s): Coordination
Start by phase: Planning
Complete by phase: Ongoing
RP role(s): Integration coordinator
Summary
ACCESS infrastructure that is visible to researchers/users, resource providers, developers, between ACCESS projects, or the broader community must be described. ACCESS resource providers, ACCESS projects, and other ACCESS affiliated online service providers (i.e. science gateways, etc.) enter basic information about their organization and then describe the infrastructure that they operate in the Cyberinfrastructure Description Repository (CiDeR). Audience relevant summaries of these descriptions are displayed in different ACCESS websites.
Initial setup involves the integration coordinator obtaining administrator access to CiDeR so they can authorize others in their organization to enter and maintain infrastructure descriptions. This task should take ~½ hour. Organization staff enter initial descriptions and maintain accurate infrastructure descriptions in CiDeR. This task should take ~1 hour/year per infrastructure element.
Prerequisite tasks
None
Support Information
Submit a Request: Resource providers needing assistance with integration tasks can submit an ACCESS Integration and Operation Support Request using instructions on this page. Pick an “ACCESS Operational Support Issues” that best matches your request, or the catch-all issue type “ACCESS-wide: Provider Integration - Infrastructure Integration and Roadmaps“.
Slack Discussion: ACCESS has a Slack channel for infrastructure operators and ACCESS to discuss integration topics. For access submit a request to be invited to the RP-ACCESS #integration-roadmaps Slack channel.
By Weekly Meetings: ACCESS holds a Zoom meeting every second Friday from 11:00 AM to Noon Central for infrastructure operators and ACCESS to discuss integration topics. To obtain Zoom coordinates submit a request for the RP and ACCESS Roadmaps Zoom meeting coordinates.
Integration Consultants: ACCESS allocated resource providers and some other types of infrastructure operators have a Concierge Integration Expert consultant available for one-on-one integration support.
Documentation:
Detailed Instructions
For general information on CIDeR such as webpage access/authorization, webpage navigation, and viewing/editing infrastructure, follow the CiDeR documentation.
For new Resource Providers, follow these steps:
For RPs that have CIDeR access on the individual (see Getting Started with CIDeR) and organization level (see Creating a CIDeR organization), proceed to the Adding New Infrastructure).
Getting Started with CIDeR
Follow the Getting Started section of the CIDeR documentation to obtain access/authorization to CIDeR.
Creating a CIDeR organization
RPs require a CIDeR organization (e.g. Texas Tech University) in order to define infrastructure resources. To see organizations currently defined, see CIDeR’s organizations list. (ACCESS login required - see Getting Started with CIDeR) for access/authorization issues)
Submit an Integration and Operations Request from this page with the Title “New CIDeR Organization” and the following information:
Organization logo URL or attached file
Organization public URL
Organization PI/director name
Organization PI/director email address
External Data Posting
Request a new resource group for the organization
Group Types: resource-catalog.access-ci.org
The ACCESS usernames of individuals that will be CiDeR administrators for your organization. These individuals will be able to grant other individuals access to maintain infrastructure descriptions. Persons can be both CiDeR administrators and the maintainers of descriptions.
Submitted organization information will be entered by a CiDeR administrator and used to grant access to CiDeR administrators.
Provide CiDeR access to other organization staff
After the integration coordinator has been granted CiDeR access they can grant other organization staff access to enter and maintain infrastructure descriptions:
Select “Service Providers” or “Organizations” along the top.
Click on your “Organization” name.
Click on “Administrators”.
Add additional Organization Admins who may enter and update your organization resource information.
Adding New Infrastructure
Follow the Adding New Infrastrucutre section of the CIDeR documentation with the ACCESS-specific steps mentioned below:
Be sure to click to the Affiliations tab and add ACCESS as an affiliation
Be sure to add an Announcement Date as soon as possible to trigger displaying infrastructure in other ACCESS interfaces
For Compute, Cloud, and Storage type resources, enter as much information as possible in the type details tab minimum required information:
Field Name |
Applicable Resource Type |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Node Count |
Compute, Cloud |
For cloud record the number of controller nodes. |
CPU Core Count Per Node |
Compute, Cloud |
For heterogeneous clusters use the mean value per node |
Memory Per CPU in GB |
Compute, Cloud |
For heterogeneous clusters use the mean value per node |
Local Storage per Node in GB |
Compute |
For heterogeneous clusters use the mean value per node |
Peak Teraflops |
Compute |
Leave blank if unknown |
Disk Size in TB |
Compute, Storage, Cloud |
Total amount of shared storage (network attached and parallel file-system) |
Tips for storage resource providers: The following topics are particularly helpful in your storage resource description.
Intended use - Some storage resources are intended to be used only in conjunction with a specific compute resource, while others are intended to be used without any associated computing. Your intended use statement should clearly state which of these is true for your resource.
Backup policy - If your storage resource isn’t backed up, it’s best to note that in as many places as possible! This is a good place to clearly state the backup policy.
Additional allocation requirement - If your storage resource may only be allocated in conjunction with another resource (compute, cloud), it’s helpful to clearly state that requirement in the resource description.
Variation from standard allocation rates - Most ACCESS storage resources have an exchange rate of one ACCESS allocation credit to one resource unit, and one resource unit to 1 GB of storage. If your resource has a different rate, please state that clearly in the resource description.
Identity Resource Provider Contacts
The Integration Coordinator must enter the following RP contacts in CiDeR for each defined Infrastructure:
Allocations process contact(s)
AMIE technical contact(s)
Cybersecurity and incident response contact(s)
Data and networking contact(s)
Integration coordinator(s)
Metrics and performance data contact(s)
Public documentation contact(s)
Public relations and media contact(s)
Researcher support and ticket handling contact(s)
Resource news and outages publisher(s)
System administrator(s)
If the RP doesn’t know who some of these contacts will be, or wishes not to identify them until relevant integration effort ramps up, please name the Integration Coordinator as the placeholder for those roles. In other words, ACCESS needs each someone to be the contact in each of the above areas, even if it’s the coordinator who will eventually hand off effort to someone else. As integration activities ramps up the Integration Coordinator can add other RP staff replacing themselves as necessary.
Enter Resource Conversion Factors
Skip this section if your resource is not ACCESS allocated.
The CiDeR Documentation has instructions for entering a “conversion factor”. This is the NU conversion factor of your resource, divided by 21.576. For most compute resources, you should NOT change the conversion factor that you already have listed.
The variable marketplace exchange rate was previously linked to the conversion factor. The exchange rate is now managed independently in the XRAS system. Documentation for managing exchange rates is available: Variable Marketplace RP Documentation.
Maintain infrastructure descriptions
Information in CiDeR must be kept up to date and reviewed for accuracy at least yearly.