The DORII Middleware. Virtual Control Room (VCR)

Overview

The Virtual Control Room (VCR) is an open source web portal that allows simplified access to the gLite Grid resources. The current VCR implementation is based on the latest version of Gridsphere 3.1, Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and the DORII Java Common Library for accessing Grid resources.
The GridSphere portal framework provides an open-source portlet based Web portal. Its portlet API implementation is fully JSR 168 compliant. For more information about the Gridsphere, please visit their web site at: http://www.gridsphere.org/gridsphere/gridsphere. Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a development toolkit for building and optimizing complex browser-based applications. For more information about the GWT, see: http://code.google.com/webtoolkit.

DORII Common Library (DORII CL) is a Java client library for accessing gLite Grid resources. It is an utility library based on the gEclipse code and the code from the earlier versions of the VCR. For more information about the CL, please visit the DORII web site. VCR integrates DORII Workflow Management System and an internal Application Manager. It customizes user environment introducing tags for user-application mapping. Registered portal users may access Grid resources from the VCR using their personal certificates, or the portal's robot certificate, the latter an approach proved to be most useful for occasional users of the infrastructure. Users are linked to the various projects through the VCR tags so each user is presented with the correct set of resources that he/she is entitled to use, and his/her proxy certificate has the correct VOMS attributes set automatically. Integration of the scientific instrumentation is provided through a graphical Instrument Element client. The VCR's tunneling allows for remote access to the legacy control system and supports interactive application through visualization of the GVid client in a user's browser.

VCR is structured in modules (Core Module, Instruments, Remote desktop, Logbook) so that only the desired tools may be installed.

VCR portal has been originally developed during the GRIDCC project.
The development continued at Elettra after the termination of the GRIDCC.
Since summer of 2008, the VCR makes part of the EGEE's RESPECT program.

Requirements:

• Linux (RH Enterprise based distribution preferably, e.g. CERN's Scientific Linux.)
• Valid host certificate in PEM format.
• Java JDK 6.
• Apache Ant 1.7.*
• JAVA_HOME, ANT_HOME environment variables must be correctly set.
• Database Server running (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL).
• JMS server (optional if JMS support is required). Tested with NaradaBrokering and OpenJMS.

Additional software (downloaded and configured by the VCR installation procedure):

• Gridsphere portal
• DORII Common Library
• Apache Tomcat 5.5.26 for the VCR
• Apache Tomcat 5.5.* for the CL

Installation:

The DORII VCR contains a Ant based installation and configuration procedure described in detail in the manual. Individual modules can be (re-)installed also using Ant.

Source code

Subversion repository:
https://svn.gforge.hlrs.de/svn2/dorii-jra/middleware/VCR/trunk/

Latest release:
https://svn.gforge.hlrs.de/svn2/dorii-jra/middleware/VCR/tags/vcr3.2/

VCR may be downloaded from the Elettra site:
http://ulisse.elettra.trieste.it/uos/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&order=date

Documentation and manuals

VCR core package contains a detailed manual:
https://svn.gforge.hlrs.de/svn2/dorii-jra/middleware/VCR/trunk/vcr/VCRmanual.pdf

VCR manual may be found at the Elettra site too:
http://ulisse.elettra.trieste.it/uos/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=39&order=date

Detailed documentation for previous releases is included in the following GRIDCC deliverables:
D5.6 Refined version of the General Purpose Collaborative Environment:
http://www.gridcc.org/documents/D5_6.pdf

D5.6 Annex 1: VCR Installation Instructions, Administrator's Guide and User's Guide:
http://www.gridcc.org/documents/D5_6_Annex1.pdf