Why IHEPCCC

1. Why IHEPCCC • Federico Ruggieri, former chair of HEPCCC asked me on behalf of HEPCCC in Oct 2001 to try to internationalize this committee because of the obvious fact that HEP experiments and hence the related computing are becoming more and more international • I proposed to choose a formal route thru ICFA

2. IHEPCCC status and chart • IHEPCCC is a formal subcommittee of ICFA • http://www.fnal.gov/directorate/icfa/ • ICFA : International Committee for Future Accelarators is the body representing best the world wide community of HEP • Its membership is mostly composed the directors of the major HEP labs • Formally ICFA <- C11 <- IUPAP <-ICSU-<UNESCO • Next ICFA meeting Feb 2005 in TRIUMF, where IHEPCCC report is expected

3. IHEPCCC Terms of reference(1) • http://www.fnal.gov/directorate/icfa/Int'l_HEPCCC.html • Mission • IHEPCCC's primary mission is to act as a forum between the main persons in charge of HEP computing, by gathering and distributing information about all relevant issues in HEP computing, and especially those with a global nature. Typical examples are information exchanges about new technology trends, computing centers' strategic policies, security issues, recommendation of standard practices, presentation of R&D results, comparison of various equipment performances.

4. IHEPCCC Terms of reference(2) • Other missions include: • Issuing statements and recommendations concerning computing in the HEP community. • Serving as an interface to other scientific domains on matters of computing. • Working in close connection with the ICFA SCIC, the physics regional organizations, and the HICB coordinating the grid projects in HEP. • Reporting to ICFA.

5. IHEPCCC membership • 21 members : • S. Banerjee (TIFR/Mumbai) M. Delfino(Barcelona) P. Avery (Gainesville) • H. Chen (IHEP/Beijing) M. Kasemann (DESY) B. Gibbard (BNL) • D. Son (Daegu) M. Mazzucato (Padova) R. Mount (SLAC) • G. Taylor (Melbourne) W. von Rueden (CERN) R. Sobie (Victoria) • Y. Watase (KEK) M. Turala (Krakow) V. White (Fermilab) • P. Watkins (Birmingham) F. Wuerthwein (San Diego) • G. Wormser (Orsay) – Chair • A. Hoummadda (Casablanca ) V. Ilyin (Moscow) A. Santoro (Rio de Janeiro)

6. Consensus on objectives A/ Guarantee the best possible conditions for the advent on a Grid-based HEP world wide computing A.1/ Make sure that all conditions are met to foster the development of viable HEP grid(s) A.2/ Make sure that they are interoperable and secure A.3/ Make sure that all regions of the HEP world have an easy access to them B/ Foster collaboration and training in HEP computing B.1/ Make sure that the best possible conditions are met to foster the common development of software tools and standards B.2/ Make sure that the best possible conditiond are met for best practice exchange and training

7. Internal organisation started • Bureau : D. Son, B. Gibbard, GW • Working group on Technical Advisory body: W. Von Rudden, R. Mount, P. Watkins, H. Chen • Working group on creating aHEP Virtual Organization : M. Delfino, R. Santoro, Y. Watase • All reports due for our next meeting in October

8. Proposal for Technical Advisory Body • IHEPCCC will ask and receive technical input on a ad hoc basis (ie no standing committee) • IHEPCC will primarily consult HEPiX , thru its chairpersons, to form the membership and chair of each technical task force. • Members will participate to these task forces at their own expenses (if any), since IHEPCCC has no funding. • However, IHEPCCC thru ICFA can certainly try to persuade the corresponding labs to be as helpful as possible • It is well understood that the topics addressed by IHEPCCC (such as HEP VO creation, storage, collaborative tools, grid related activities,..) may go beyond the present HEPiX mandate. • This could be seen, if desirable, as an opportunity for HEPiX to extend its coverage. • On the other hand, IHEPCCC can also try to find technical expertise from other bodies in such cases.

9. A few comments • IHEPCCC is quite satisfied with the way HEPiX works and has no intention to interfere or to control HEPiX • IHEPCCC is happy to get the technical expertise from this most competent body and to invite HEPiX to give/send more general reports at IHEPCCC meetings when judged appropriate • IHEPCCC will of course try to limit its requests for technical input to the most burning issues • IHEPCCC can complement a task force by non HEPiX members if deemed necessary • The task force format has to be discussed but roughly would consist of 4-5 people. IHEPCCC would identify one of its members as correspondent to the task force to make sure that the answer corresponds to the original question. A task force chair will be picked up by the HEPiX chairs (or by the members …). The task force duration would be normally strictly limited in time , typically to the few months between IHEPCCC meetings • The task force chair will be invited to present its findings to IHEPCCC and will be asked to provide a short electronic report to be circulated to IHEPCCC ~ two weeks in advance of the IHEPCCC meeting.

10. First two requests • IHEPCCC would be happy to get (or help construct) a status of the Linux operating system(s) usage plans for all important HEP computing centres in the world • IHEPCCC would like to get technical advice on how to implement a HEP Virtual Organisation (see document http://agenda.cern.ch/askArchive.php?base=agenda&categ=a044205&id=a044205s1t4%2Fdocument%2FHEP_Community.pdf The HEP VO is a concept which : • Allows to identify (and keep up-to-date) all “bona fide” members of the HEP Community world wide • Enables the delivery to these members of services, both on individual or collective basis such as : Ease of use of minium computing facilities (mail, web posting, print,..) when outside one’s home lab Access to collaborative tools (mailing lists,..)