PANDA Grid

PANDA Grid is the first up and running component of the PANDA experiment. PANDA Grid is more than mere computing infrastructure, but, through a convergence of expertise and software from many sources, a complete tool for pursuing PANDA physics. The project started in 2003 and is based on AliEn middleware developed by ALICE at CERN.

To use it, you need to get an account and install a client (see link below). To join us, that is provide computing services via the Grid, install a site (see link below). su

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Organization

Members

• Grid Project coordinator: DanProtopopescu, University of Glasgow, UK
• Production manager: Paul Buehler, SMI Vienna, Austria
• Central services supervisor: Rene Dosdall, Juelich, Germany
• Deputy Grid Admin: RadoslawKarabowicz, GSI, Germany
• List of member sites

GSI affiliated sites: ASTI, Ateneo, UP_CSRC and Dortmund are not members of the PANDA collaboration but they are sites affiliated with GSI. Liaison person for these sites is KilianSchwarz.

Statement of Service

The Grid is practically the first up-and-running 'installation' of the PANDA experiment. To improve the commitment to this enterprise, it was proposed that the institutes joining the PANDA Grid, present as well as future members, should sign a SoS ('Statement of Service') that will make participation slightly more formal and will provide an account of allocated manpower, pledged resources, time frames etc. The draft of the proposed document is here: pg-sos.tex (early draft, to be discussed). You have to download, edit it adding your site details, latex it, produce the pdf and have it signed by everybody.

Forum

• Grid and Infrastructure GSI Forum

Workshops

The Grid workshops are announced via the main GSI site.

• Permanent PGW website
• Workshop-related wiki: PandaGridWorkshop

Strategy Document

A strategy document is in preparation. More information can be found in this wiki.

Gridware

PANDA Grid runs AliEn (Ali ce En vironment) gridware:

• AliEn - 2003 - 10/2006
• AliEn2 (v2.12) - 10/2006 - present

Monitoring

AliEn2 comes with embedded ApMon modules and it is monitored via MonALISA:

• NPE MonALISA repository (mlr2.gla.ac.uk:7001)
• GSI MonALISA repository (lxgrid3.gsi.de:8888)
• Firefox plugin (Toolbar)

Documentation

Customized documentation is available in 'howtos and tutorials' while more general topics can be found on the CERN wiki.

Howtos and Tutorials

This list is not exhaustive. Suggestions and contributions are welcome.

Client Installation

• AliEn2 Client Installation HowTo

Certificates

Authentication certificates are managed via our CertificatesManagement. To authenticate to MonALISA with you certificate, use this command to translate it to pk12:

openssl pkcs12 -export -out usercert.p12 -in usercert.pem -inkey userkey.pem

and then import it into your browser.

Toolbar Installation

To install the MonALISA Firefox Toolbar, click here. If you get a security warning, please read this.

User Howtos

• How to use AliEn
• How to use PackMan
• How to use collections
• MonALISA tips and troubleshooting

Tutorials

These tutorials were presented at various PANDA collaboration meetings and are in wiki format for later reference:

• Job submission and control
• Managing Packages
• Ferrara Tutorial (September 2008)
• GSI Tutorial (December 2008)
• Vienna Tutorial (February 2011)

Grid Admin Howtos

• Remote Services Startup Issues
• Servers Upgrade (2008)
• RAID Recovery
• Managed Shutdowns
• Transfer to GSI (2012)

VO Administration

• VO-Box setup and configuration
• LCGSitesOptions

Site installation

• Site Installation Instructions
• LCGSiteSetUpLog

Batch Systems

• PBS/TORQUE
• CONDOR^?

Data Storage

• Switching storage from SE to xrootd
• How to mirror a whole SE
• Storage monitoring and transfers^?
• How to clean a local SE

Production Tools

• ML Production Web Interface
• Permanent production mode

Talks

There is a PANDA Grid talks repository where all related talks should be archived: TalksArchive. Please add your talks there.

PandaRoot

PandaRoot is PANDA experiment's simulation and reconstruction software package. The first PandaRoot simulation-reconstruction chain was successfully tested on the PANDA Grid in February 2007 during the 3rd PANDA Grid workshop with more than 15000 jobs. Latest grid version of PandaRoot is 0.4.

• Production management scheme:
  

On grid

The status of the PandaRoot and related packages installed on our grid can be tracked in a dedicated wiki page: PandaRootOnGrid. Please log your activities there, comment new additions and explain removal of obsolete packages.

Data Challenges

Data challenges (DC) will be starting in 2008, initially twice per year. The first first in April, next to be set by the Production Coordinator (Manager). Results will be posted herein.

• DC01 - April 17-21, 2008
• DC02 - November 17-21, 2008
• DC03 - November 23-27, 2009
• DC04 - STT/TPC Simulations

Production Rounds

• TDR11 - May 25-, 2011

Related topics

• Grid and ML on the NPE Glasgow site
• MonALISA at CERN and CalTech
• vmplayer and Grid
• PandaRootInstall on the NPE wiki

-- DanProtopopescu - 7 Dec 2009

-- RadoslawKarabowicz - 05 Feb 2012
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