Source: http://www.apan.net/meetings/busan03/materials/ws/escience/NATIONAL%20GRID%20SINGAPORE(Jon%20LAU%20khee%20erng).pdf

1. NATIONAL GRID
SINGAPORE
Jon Lau
Assistant Head

2. Content
• Development in Grid Activities in
Singapore
• Singapore’s National Grid
• Pilot Platform
• Virtualization of Technical Computing
Resource
• Promotional Activities
• International Interactions

3. Development in Grid
Activities in Singapore

4. Overview of Grid Activities
– Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
– National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Institute of High Performance Computing
(IHPC)
– Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)
– Bioinformatics Institute (BII)

5. Earlier Grid
Testbeds
• Linux clusters at NUS, NTU & IHPC connected to
form a Grid testbed
• Globus Toolkit installed on all clusters
• Packages: Condor, PBS, Sun Grid Engine
• Maximize academic/research computing resources utilization.
• Enable sharing of specialized and scarce hardware & software
resources.
• Enable sharing of data in BioInformatics & other research works.
• Facilitate collaboration.
[Courtesy of Tan Chee Chiang, NUS]

6. Nanyang Technological University
• Research Focus
– Middleware development (with IHPC)
– Application development
• Projects
– MEG Data Visualisation (CyberMedia Center, Osaka Univ.)
– Integration of SIBBS into Globus
– Meta-scheduling, inter-operability, ...
• Collaborators
– IHPC, BioMedGrid, ApGrid
• HPC Resources
– PC Cluster with Cluster software
– 0.5 teraflops HP (Compaq) Cluster
– AP Science & Technology Centre (with Sun Microsystems)
[Courtesy of A/P Francis Lee, NTU]

7. National University of Singapore
• Research Focus
– Middleware & Grid Programming
• Projects
– ALICE (a Java-based Lightweight Grid)
• Collaborators
– Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing & Processing (CRISP),
Bioinformatics Institute, Nanyang Polytechnic (School of Life
Sciences)
• Start-up: Atsuma Technology (www.atsuma.com)
• HPC Resources:
– HP Alpha servers (GS320 and ES40), SGI server (Origin2000),
Linux cluster, & SGI/HP/Sun workstations
[Courtesy of A/P Teo Yong Meng, NUS]

8. Institute of
High Performance Computing
• Research Focus
– Middleware development (with NTU)
• Directory service, execution management services
• Projects
– Infrastructure implementation (KISTI (Korea))
– Grid Enabled Computational Electro Magnetics (British
Aerospace, Cardiff University, Swansea University & HP)
– Environment to support simulations (such as CFD, CME, CEE,
MEMS)
• HPC Resources
– IBM p690 Regatta, 17 & 13 CPU PIII Beowulf clusters
[Courtesy of Dr. Kurichi Kumar, IHPC]

9. Genome Institute of Singapore
Grid Projects
• SNPs
– Building an integrated SNPs database which takes information
from several SNPs databases & then aligns the information to a
common genome sequence. The resulting information helps to
identify SNPs which overlap & could be more significant for
using as markers & building of primers.
• Protein-Protein Interactions Database (PPDB)
– Building a system to help predict protein-protein interactions by
integrating many tools & data from several sources. We use
information from domain fusion, text-mining, experimental
databases, & phylogenetic profiling to construct putative
protein-protein interaction networks.
[Courtesy of Heidi Dowst, GIS]

10. Bioinformatics Institute
• Research Focus
– Bioinformatics, grid software
• Projects
– High Throughput Blast with National Cancer Centre
– Analysis Pipeline of Zebrafish Genome with GIS
– Annotation of Fugu Genome with IMCB & Sanger Center (UK)
– Analysis of Arrhythmia
– High Throughput Mass Spec Analysis with GIS
– Bacterial Comparative Genomics with DMRI
– Grid version of Clustlw
– Cellware
• HPC Resources
– Itanium cluster, Alpha, 64-CPU Pentium 3
[Courtesy of Larry Ang]

11. Singapore’s
National Grid

12. National Grid
The NG is a national effort to:
• Develop a Cyberinfrastructure for
science and engineering research and
education; and
• Promote the use of Grid Computing for
research, academia, commerce and
industry

13. NG Organisation Chart
MTI
MTI MINDEF
MINDEF MITA
MITA MOH
MOH MOE
MOE IHLs
IHLs
(A*STAR, EDB,
(A*STAR, EDB, (DSTA, DSO,
(DSTA, DSO, (IDA, MDA)
(IDA, MDA) (Hospitals)
(Hospitals) (Schools)
(Schools) (NUS, NTU &
(NUS, NTU &
JTC, RICs)
JTC, RICs) defence contractors))
defence contractors Polys)
Polys)
National Grid Steering Committee (NGSC)
National Grid Steering Committee (NGSC)
Chairman: Mr Peter Ho, PS (Defence)
Chairman: Mr Peter Ho, PS (Defence)
Network WG
National Grid
National Grid
Office
Office
Facilitates & (NGO)
Security WG (NGO)
coordinates
activities
Middleware WG National Grid
Operations Centre
Applications WG (NGOC)
Governance/Policy WG National Grid
Competency
Life Physical Centre (NGCC)
Sciences Sciences ….
VGC VGC

14. NG Office
• Started:
– Jan 2003 with 2½ persons
• Functions:
– Secretariat to NG Steering Committee
– Facilitate & co-ordinate activities of Working
Groups & Virtual Grid Communities
– Develop NG Master Plan
– Act as a catalyst to achieve the NG goal

15. National Grid
Pilot Platform
(NGPP)

16. Pilot Platform for Grid Computing
“Conservative” approach to demonstrate
the feasibility of grid computing:
• Use existing facilities as much as possible
• Co-funding by stakeholders
• Performance indicators for review
• Dovetails with a strategic research program on
collaborative large-scale computing

17. NG Pilot Platform
Entity OS Platform
IHPC AIX IBM Regatta
One-North Linux Intel Xeon Cluster
(BII & GIS) Itanium Itanium
Solaris Sun
NUS Linux Intel Xeon Cluster
NTU Solaris Sun Fire
Linux Intel Pentium 4
SMA Linux Itanium 2

18. NG Pilot Platform
• Connecting up
– Institute for Higher Performance Computing
(IHPC)
– One-North which has Bioinformatics Institute
(BII) and Genome Institute
– National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
– Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

19. NG Pilot Platform
• Co-funding from stakeholders
– Agency for Science, Technology and
Research (A*STAR)
– Defense Science Technology Authority
(DSTA)
– Economic Development Board (EDB)
– Infocomm Development Authority (IDA)
– National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
– Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

20. NG Pilot Platform
• Support from Vendors
– CISCO
– DELL
– Hewlett Packard
– IBM
– Intel
– Singapore Computer Systems
– StarHub
– Sun Microsystems

21. Thematic Strategic Research
Programme (TSRP) on
“GRID Computing - Network, Platform,
Middleware and Applications
• A thematic approach for funding of Strategic
Research Programmes by the Science &
Engineering Research Council under A*STAR
• Fund Grid R&D projects which include research
on Grid Enabling technologies (i.e. network,
security, middleware, & tools).

22. Virtualization/Sharing/Aggregation
of
Technical Computing Resource
on the
National Grid Pilot Platform

23. Survey on
Scientific Computing Hardware Expenditure
Survey:
• Survey among IHLs and RICs for the past 5 years
(1998 – 2002).
• Survey of hardware bought. It does not include
cost of maintenance, manpower costs and
software costs.
Assumptions:
• Based on 40% savings when utilization is
increased by virtualizing resources.

24. Survey on
Scientific Computing Hardware Expenditure
S$40m
Projected Expenditure on HPC
Without Grid Infrastructure
Projected Expenditure on HPC
With Grid Infrastructure
Cost
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Year

25. Survey on
Scientific Computing Hardware Expenditure
Findings:
• Hardware replacements occurs in a 4 year cycle.
• Savings of between 20% - 30% over next 5 years.
• The amounts indicated are probably less than actual expenditure
as it is impossible to capture every items purchased.
More savings expected:
• Bandwidth costs goes down.
• Additional savings from software aggregation and savings in
manpower and maintenance costs.
Other benefits:
• Better results via collaboration.
• Ability to handle massively computational jobs.
• Attract investments in Life Sciences.

26. Promotional Activities

27. Sponsored by :
Supported by :
Organized by :

28. Physical Sciences VGC Symposium
• Co-organised by
NUS, NTU, IHPC
and NG Office
• 10 papers
submitted
• More than 100
participants

29. Grid Competition for IHL students

30. International Interactions

31. International Interactions
Korea/Japan
• A*STAR led delegation visited Korea and Japan
from 12 – 15 May 2003
– Korea: KISTI, Seoul University, Yonsei University,
Ministry of Information & Communication (MIC) and
IBM & HP.
– Japan: IBM Tokyo Research Lab, GTRC-AIST, NTT
Data Corp, METI.

32. International Interactions
UK e-Science
• A*STAR and National Grid visited UK e-Science Centres
in July 2003.
• Singapore Tissue Network collaboration with Oxford
University.
• NTU collaboration with University of Southhampton and
other e-Science centres.
• IHPC collaboration with BEA, Cardiff University, HP Lab
Bristol, University of Wales, Swansea, Welsh e-Science
Centre (GECEM).
• IHPC collaboration with Rolls Royce.
• A delegation from Singapore will be attending “all-
hands” meeting at Nottingham, UK in September 2003.

33. International Interactions
USA TeraGrid
• An NGSC delegation will be visiting USA
TeraGrid sites in September 2003
– Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
– National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA)
– National Science Foundation (NSF)
– San Diego Supercomputing Centre (SDSC)

34. Milestones of NG
NG O organized 1st Workshop on
Physical Sciences VGC TSRP for Grid
Symposium Computing
NG Office
(2-1/2 staff) NG O submitted PP business To award PP To
Formed proposal on TSRP Plan approved contracts Launch PP
for Grid Computing
NG SC
Formed
Sep 02 Jan 03 Apr 03 May 03 June 03 Jul 03 Aug 03 Sep 03 Oct 03
Visit to USA
Visit to Japan TeraGrid
UK e-Science UK e-Science
and Korea Trip ‘all-hands’
Accelerating developments
Modest beginning
Consulting, buy-ins, promotion

35. The Way Ahead
• International Collaborations/MOUs
• Strengthening of NG Pilot Platform
• Improve middleware, and the provision
of Grid operation/support services
• Encourage Virtual Grid Communities

36. Acknowledgements
• A/P Francis Lee (ebslee@ntu.edu.sg), School of Computer
Engineering, NTU
• A/P Teo Yong Meng (teoym@comp.nus.edu.sg), Computer
Science Department, NUS
• A/P Tan Tin Wee (tinwee@bic.nus.edu.sg), Bioinformatics Centre,
Dept. of Biochemistry, NUS
• Tan Chee Chiang (ccetancc@nus.edu.sg), Computer Centre, NUS
• Dr. Kurichi Kumar (kkumar@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg), Institute of High
Performance Computing
• Heidi Dowst (gishd@nus.edu.sg), Genome Institute of Singapore
• Larry Ang (larry@bii.a-star.edu.sg), Bioinformatics Institute

37. The End
For more information, contact:
National Grid Office
21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Singapore 119613
http://www.ngp.org.sg