Virtual Workspaces for Scientific Applications Kate Keahey, ANL

One of the primary obstacles users face in Grid computing today is that while Grids are composed of many heterogeneous resources, user applications typically require a very specific, customized environment. Variations in operating system, middleware versions, library environments, and file system layouts all pose barriers to application portability. Furthermore, these same differences create problems for applications that require a consistent environment for their execution.

Virtual workspaces, currently represented as virtual machines, combine the application and the environment required for its execution in one simple unit that can be dynamically deployed across a variety of platforms. Combined with dynamic deployment and resource management services, such as the Globus Toolkit (GT) Virtual Workspace Service, virtual workspaces make Grid computing truly scalable and accessible.

Our presentation will summarize the experiences of the GT workspace team with the creation, management and deployment of virtual workspaces for scientific applications and services. In particular, we will describe our experiences in configuring and deploying workspaces for supporting applications for the high-energy physics STAR and Alice experiments. We will highlight the benefits of using virtualization to these communities, discuss the challenges of producing and maintaining VM images, their deployment as well as pros and cons of using this virtualization technology for scientific applications.