Création des SSC ( Specialized Support Center )

1. Création des SSC (Specialized Support Center) Résumé HEP du meeting du 5 et 6 mai 2009 à http://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=55097 J-P Meyer

2. De quoi parlons nous? Page 9 du EGI DS blueprint « The services necessary to support the EGI users are distributed among NGIs covering the national needs and Specialised Support Centres(SSCs) – entities typically organised to ensure the EGI e-Infrastructure corresponds to the needs of the large international scientific disciplines and can efficiently support their users » Page 20 et 21 du EGI DS blueprint « The formation of SSCs is the responsibility of the interested communities, who will establish their preferred services and collaborations and negotiate with EGI.org … … … … There is no obligation for an NGI to be part of an SSC. ... «  Table 6 du EGI DS blueprint NGI Size Small Medium Large Resources [FTEs] 0.5-1.7 1-2.5 1.5-4 J-P Meyer

3. Les communautés représentées à Athènes • Thématiques: • - Sciences de la terre • Sciences de la vie • Astro • Fusion • HEP • Chimie • Matériaux • Business • … • Transverses • Dissémination • Training • … ~10 SSC Combien de proposal? Sources de financement à trouver hors EGI  Europe 25M€?/2ans pour l’ensemble des SSC (FP7 e-infra  juin-novembre) J-P Meyer

4. La ou Les? SSC HEP La vision CERN exprimée par J. Shiers • « CERN expects to be a lead partner in establishing such an SSC and hopes that other players can be identified very soon (if not already) By end May 2009 would be optimal • Prague(?), DESY and INFN are understood to be interested –others? » • « We would expect to produce a draft –but already fairly complete –proposal no later than July 2009 » • « Centres of expertise (excellence?) at CERN and at other sites to match the needs of the user communities supported » • « Sizing based on existing experience: something like 2 people per LHC (or other) VO » J-P Meyer

5. La vision WLCG exprimée par P. Méndez Lorenzo • The HEP SSC includes support to all High Energy Physics and accelerator applications: • LHC communities: ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and VO.SIXT.CERN.CH • Theoretical Particle application and simulation toolkits (Geant4) • United Nations Initiatives already included in the current HEP cluster support: UNOSAT, EnviroGrid, etc • In addition the HEP SSC will continue the support to all those applications required by HEP communities and already supported in the EGEE framework • In collaboration with INFN • Nuclear Physics and HEP applications besides LHC are also included • Babar • ZEUS, H1: In collaboration with DESY • In addition the cluster foresees the inclusion of AstroParticle Physics applications in collaboration with DESY • All current NGIs providing support to WLCG and the rest of HEP SSC foreseen applications are expected to participate • Contacts with INFN and DESY already established J-P Meyer

6. CERN expects to lead this SSC • The SSC governance will be opened to all NGIs currently supporting the mentioned applications and activities • Discussions privées: • La position de Patricia est que le support direct aux utilisateurs est fourni par les VO est que la SSC apporte uniquement du support aux applications. Pour elle 2 FTE/VO LHC basés au CERN suffisent. • Jamie semble plus ouvert sur le nombre de FTE mais le CERN veut clairement garder la main. • De l’argent a été promis par l’Europe au CERN pour le support des VO LHC (L. Perini) J-P Meyer

7. Les critères à remplir pour une SSC SSC must: * Have a mechanism for additional partners and users to join. * Be governed by the user community/stakeholders. * Have a European-level existence and must demonstrate the added value of a European-level coordination. Note that some of the stakeholders could be outside of Europe, but there must be a strong European component to the SSC. * Demonstrate how the SSC will advance the aims of EGI. * Have a plan on how EGI resources will be used and/or provided by the SSC's stakeholders. * Provide a sustainability plan/roadmap. * Demonstrate its legitimacy for representing a given sector of the full EGI user community. This may include letters of support from major stakeholders, explicit financial or material support, contacts with ESFRI projects, etc. It is extremely important that conflicting SSC proposals for a given user community do not arise. * Have a clear work plan and roadmap with measurable milestones. * Accept the global EGI policies. * Commit to name people to fill relevant EGI/SSC contact points. (Those people must participate at an appropriate level in the associated groups.) There are a set of associated responsibilities for EGI. EGI (probably EGI.org) must: * Provide and publish the above requirements for SSCs (amended as necessary). It must also establish a procedure for evaluating SSC proposals. * Must provide and publish the aims of the project. * Must publish the expected contact points for SSCs and the responsibilities associated with those posts. * Must publish the its global policies. J-P Meyer

8. Calendrier * (20 May) Editorial board coordinators meet to develop initial outline of EGI-related proposals. (C. Loomis, S. Newhouse, L. Perini) * (22 May) Provide an outline of the EGI-related proposals for the SSCs. (C. Loomis, S. Newhouse, L. Perini) * (25 May) Discuss with EC representatives the plans for SSC proposals and what instruments should be used. Provide feedback to workshop participants. (C. Loomis) * (1 July) Have a follow-up meeting in Paris (Orsay) to discuss progress and the details of the call. Invite EC representatives to this meeting. (C. Loomis) * (30 June) SSCs should provide draft work plan before meeting in Paris. * (15 Sept.) Provide "final" complete drafts of SSC proposals before EGEE'09. * (~20 Sept.) Session at EGEE'09 to discuss "final" SSC and other EGI-related proposals. * (3 Nov.) Final meeting at CERN to adjust/refine proposals for submission. J-P Meyer

9. Questions: - Est-ce que la NGI-Fr veut s’impliquer dans la rédaction du proposal SSC HEP? - Quid des expériences non LHC, non CERN?  faut-il proposer une SSC HEP-non LHC?  Quelle place pour de nouvelles VO HEP? - Comment des VO de taille modeste peuvent elles démarrer sur la grille EGI dans de bonnes conditions?  Quel support aux utilisateurs de la NGI-Fr? (voir par exemple la NGI-Es) J-P Meyer