Underworld

a long term geodynamics simulation platform

Using Underworld on the ARCS Grid & Cloud

About the ARCS Grid & Cloud

The ARCS Grid connects a range of High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities in Australia and New Zealand. The ARCS Compute Cloud is a variation of the Grid, providing more streamlined access to facilities. However not all facilities on the Grid are accessible via the Cloud (yet).

Grisu is a Java-based Grid submission client developed by ARCS, which provides a single graphical user interface for accessing facilities on both the Grid and the Cloud, which can be used to submit Underworld jobs to supported computer clusters, without needing to use command-line tools. This page will guide you through getting started with Grisu and submitting a test Underworld job to a supported computer cluster.

When using Grisu, by default input and output files are stored in the user's directory within their Group or Virtual Organisation (VO) home directory at the site to which the compute job is being submitted, so these files may be accessible by other members of the same Group or VO. ARCS also provides a Compute Cloud web interface (see links below), which stores all input and output files in the user's ARCS Data Fabric account which provides access permission controls.

For further information on the ARCS Grid, Cloud and Grisu, see:

ARCS Grid & Cloud Overviews

ARCS Grid

ARCS Compute Cloud

Which Supported Computer Clusters have Underworld Modules Installed?

The NCI Software Map (links below) provides lists of applications installed as modules on supported computer clusters. The most recent Underworld modules are also "grid-enabled" for use across the Grid and Cloud (click on "How to Use" next to the version entry for a site and scroll down to see whether the module is "Grid Enabled" (True) or not (False)):

A map of all sites on the ARCS Grid is provided by the Grid Operations Center. All grid-enabled software packages are listed by site in ARCS WebMDS Software Package Resources list.

Getting Started with the Grid & Cloud using Grisu

We provide below a quick-start guide to getting started with Underworld on the ARCS Grid. See above for links to further information.

  1. Register on the ARCS website: Go to http://www.arcs.org.au/, click on the "Services Login" button and enter your IdP* credentials. Note: your ARCS Compute Cloud (ACC) membership and ARCS Data Fabric account may take up to 5 minutes to be processed.

  2. Download Grisu v.0.2.2: http://code.arcs.org.au/downloads/webstart/grisu.jnlp. Grisu runs on Linux, Mac OSX and Windows operating systems, and requires at least Java 1.5 (however 1.6 is recommended).

  3. Start Grisu and Authenticate: Double-click on grisu.jnlp (click on the "Trust" buttons to confirm that you trust the certificates) and select "Shibboleth login". Select your IdP* (e.g. Monash University), enter your IdP* username and password (e.g. Monash Authcate) and click on the "Login" button.

  4. Submit a Test Underworld Job: Follow the intructions at http://projects.arcs.org.au/trac/grisu/wiki/UnderworldTestCase (skipping "launch Grisu" and "select the "Shibboleth login" panel [...]" as you've already done theses in the step above), which will guide you through a sample Underworld workflow, demonstrating many of Grisu's relevant capabilities. A guide to running a very simple (non-Underworld) test job is also supplied at https://www.arcs.org.au/index.php/component/content/article/37/307-grisu-quick-stat-guide.

  5. Download Underworld Input Files: Go to the downloads page and download a set of Underworld InputFiles from the table for the relevant version of Underworld, to adapt for your own model.

  6. Consult the Underworld User Manual: See the Underworld User Manual to learn how to set up your own Underworld model, based on the sample Input Files you have downloaded.

* What is an IdP login? This is the username and password you use at your institution (e.g. Authcate at Monash), if your institution is a subscriber of and has an Identity Provider (IdP) set up with the Australian Access Federation (AAF). You can check your institution's AAF subscription status at http://www.aaf.edu.au/subscribe/subscribers/. If you don't see your institution listed, or it is not fully set up with the AAF yet, you can join the ARCS IdP (secure transfer of your auEduPersonSharedToken from the ARCS IdP to your institutional IdP can be arranged later).

About Groups & Virtual Organisations

Note: When using Grisu, other members of the same Group or VO may be able to access your input and output files.

By using the ACC Group you are selecting to use the ARCS Cloud and will only have access to the faciities that have joined the Cloud, however this access is "free". If you use any other Group or Virtual Organisation (VO), you are using the ARCS Grid and still have access to a larger range of facilities, however there may be charges involved.

ARCS can create a Virtual Organisation (VO) for each research group, who then need to approach a site to support their VO (cluster usage charges may apply).

The "MonashGeo" VO has been set up for the AuScope Underworld user community at Monash University, to access the Monash Sun Grid (free to Monash users) and VPAC cluster resources (charges apply).

To apply to join an existing VO, you can email a manager of the VO directly (e.g. for the MonashGeo VO you can contact Wendy Mason), or you can apply for membership using Grix.

Support for Using Underworld on the ARCS Grid

Known issues for Grisu v.0.2.2: Grisu v.0.2.2 Known Issues
Help with using the ARCS Services including Grisu: ARCS Customer Service
Queries regarding the installation of Underworld release modules on the ARCS Grid: Wendy Mason, Underworld eResearch Officer
Instructions on how to use Underworld: Underworld User Manual
Help with using Underworld: contact users@underworldproject.org
Documents from Underworld Grid Workshop 2009: Underworld Grid Workshop 2009

-- Wendy Mason - 07 July 2011
-- Patrick Sunter - 13 June 2007