Computing services for the Traveling Physicist Alberto Pace CERN – Information Technology Division

Problem people encounters u Despite the internet facilitates user to user communication, people still travel. u this will not change u When people travel, they expect to be able to access computing services, at various level u Competing / incompatible authentication mechanisms force physicists to have multiple identities

Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (1/3) u A wide range of scenarios … u Cern staff traveling u to a HEP lab where high network bandwidth his available u to a place where high network bandwidth his NOT available (ex Hotel room) u with his computer and requiring Network access only u without computer and requiring computing services at the remote HEP site u HEP Physicist coming to CERN u with his computer and requiring internet access only u without computer and requiring to use CERN computing services

Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (2/3) u … and a wide range of expectations … u CERN staff at remote HEP site willing to use computing services at the local HEP site (maybe using their CERN computer) u CERN staff at remote HEP site willing to use computing services located at CERN (ex: mail, file access) u HEP Physicist coming to CERN willing to use CERN services (ex: printing, network, file access) u HEP Physicist coming to CERN willing to use computing services at his home institute (ex: mail, vpn, web, …)

Computing services for the Traveling Physicist (3/3) u … at the highest possible bandwidth u Use local network if available (wired or wireless) u … otherwise, use a modem line u … otherwise, use a GSM phone (GSM Data, hsdsc, GPRS, …)

Situation at CERN Part 1 - HEP Physicist coming to CERN

HEP Physicist coming to CERN u Without computer u A certain number of public computers (PCs) are available at the User office or in buliding 513 u Both Windows and Linux OS available u All machines have internet access u In addition the physicist can use any of the computers available on the CERN network u Pre requisites u Unauthenticated “guest” access is limited to public PCs and basically offers only Web browsing and SSH connectivity to remote computers u Every CERN-User can have accounts in the CERN central computing services to use the full potential of the CERN computing facilities. This is the recommended procedure.

HEP Physicist coming to CERN u With his own computer u Network sockets available in all conference rooms and in some public places (RJ-45 connector) u Plug and Play with DHCP service. The visitor computer receives an IP address valid to access the internet but also the CERN Intranet u In some conference rooms, Wireless network is available on three standard central European channels u Ok for North American, Swiss, German and British hardware. 33 % probability not ok for French Hardware u Currently, no hardware registration necessary. u In some conference rooms, Telephone lines for modems are also availablewith RJ-11 connectors

CERN Computing Services for HEP Visitors u To everybody (unregistered) u TCP/IP access to the internet (and therefore Web and services at his remote site) u Access to the intranet (may change in the future) u Access to printers u To registered users (can logon on central services) u All CERN computing services are available. Including Mail, Web, File access, Web hosting, Interactive Unix services, user support, etc. u User support is reduced if the user access the CERN computing services using his own computer,

Situation at CERN Part 2 – CERN staff traveling

CERN Staff traveling u Without computer u He is supposed to somehow find a computer with at least a browser and / or other software (see below) u Computing Services available from CERN u Remote user with Web browser: u Access to Mail (new service), Access to Web (public part), Access to Web folders u Remote user with SSH client u Interactive Alphanumeric access to PLUS (Public Unix Services) services u Remote user with X-server client u Fully Interactive access to PLUS u Remote user with terminal Access client u (foreseen) Access to Public Windows Terminal services u Remote user with AFS client u Access to AFS file space u Remote user with VPN client u Access to the CERN intranet and all its computing services

CERN Staff traveling u With computer u They need a connection to the Internet u How to connect to the Internet ? u Ethernet Socket available at the remote location u Wireless service available at the remote location u Phone line connection available at the remote location u GSM network available at the remote location u Work offline

CERN Staff traveling u With computer and high speed internet connection u Using the VPN they can use ALL CERN services as if they where at CERN u With computer and low speed internet connection u In theory they can have all services, provide they wait enough time (and can afford communication cost). u In practice, they have to learn how to work offline/online and transfer minimal amount of information u Mail, with cached mailbox content u Web, with cached web sites and minimal document transmission u File Access, with cached offline files u With no network access u Lot of work still possible while in offline mode. u Access to local applications, Mail, offline Web site and cached offline file systems

Summary and Conclusions

Trends u The model of the businessman traveling with his own computer is entering in the HEP mode of working u Physicist travels more and more with own computers (paperless office) u This model gives access to all services (if the network is available) and is the direction where commercial products are available u Public services for unregistered users may not continue indefinetively for security reasons

Future u We see more and more demands for “global services” u Example: u CERN Web services host 1300 official web sites, a large fraction of which has a HEP scope u CERN Mail Services host mailboxes. CERN Staff accounts for Many mailboxes are used by HEP people u CERN Mailing lists is also a HEP-Wide services HEP-Wide computing services

Prerequisites u Global Network u We have the internet. But Firewalls don’t help u Global Authentication u We do not have it yet, but the problem is not only technical u If we cannot have it, we could do automatic identity mapping (same username / password everywhere) u Grid application will require global authentication u At CERN we could allow / simplify registration of external users … or … use external (commercial) global authentication mechanisms

Conclusion u CERN Computing Services that are “Global” ready for the traveling physicists u Mail u Web (including authoring) u Mailing lists u Lxplus, Lxbatch u … u CERN Computing Services that could be made “Global” u Windows services (but license problem)