UCL HEP Computing Status

HEPSYSMAN, RAL, 2005-04-27

Computers

● Desktop PCs: ~50, from 733 MHz to 3.2 GHz

● Various laptops, inc. a few iBooks

● Group batch farm: 10 dual 2.4 GHz Dell rackmount

● CDF batch farm: 10 dual 2.4 GHz Dell rackmount

● ATLAS trigger testbed: 6 rackmount machines

● Mail and web servers

● LCG front-end nodes (CE, SE, MON)

● Windows Terminal Server

● Various dedicated and development machines

Operating Systems

● Desktops, farms, servers almost all SLC3

– recently completed changeover from RH7.3● Windows 2000 Terminal Server

– some problems with SAMBA● Windows machines for AutoCAD, hardware control

● Laptops a mix of Linux, Windows, OSX

LCG Front-End Machines

● Dedicated service nodes: CE, SE, MON

● Jobs go to HEP batch farm (normally)

● Support for separate CE and batch server

– not provided as part of standard LCG– relies on recipes from third parties– is getting easier– well documented for LCG 2.4.0 by Steve Traylen

Central Computing Cluster

● UCL SRIF-funded facility

● 96 dual 2.8 GHz P4 nodes

● Half dedicated to LCG

● Other half uses Sun Grid Engine (non-HEP use)

● Managed by Information Systems

● Hope to integrate HEP and non-HEP parts

– use SGE info provider from LeSC– but need to change again for gLite?

Storage

● User file server with ~300 GB

● One 1.2 TB IDE RAID for data

● One 1.2 TB IDE RAID for backup

● One 3.2 TB RAID for data/backup

● Various RAIDS bought by MINOS and CDF

● Tape drive for backup

File backup

● Up to now:

– backup selected areas to disk (tar)– secondary backup to tape

● Problem:

– tape solution expensive– need to spend more money to use with SLC

● Solution:

– RLBackup– Currently keeping old disk backup + RLBackup

Changes

● Bob Cranfield retiring later this year

● Ben Waugh to be group “computing coordinator”

● Gianfranco Sciacca started recently

● Machine room moving to new building (early 2006?)

● Moving behind campus firewall

Issues

● Desktops vs laptops

● Management of laptops

– OS choice– support– updates

● Remote administration of servers and farms

● Management and support using fractions of people's time