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eScience Collaboration Tools: EVO & Access Grid

Learn about Access Grid and EVO collaboration tools for seamless remote collaboration. Compare features and see a summary of their capabilities. Explore the Access Grid environment and its cross-platform capabilities. Discover the evolution of EVO and its distributed collaboration tool features. Get insights into the architecture and redundancy of the tools. The presentation covers terminology, feature comparisons, and monitoring overviews. Don't miss this insightful session on advanced collaboration technologies.

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eScience Collaboration Tools: EVO & Access Grid

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  1. eScience Collaboration Tools: EVO & Access Grid Dr. Greg Wickham APAN 24th Jan 2008

  2. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

  3. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

  4. Access Grid • What is an Access Grid? • A collaboration environment • Where? • “a venue” - A virtual location where people can meet • Collaboration? • Audio • Video • Shared applications • Shared Desktop • Shared Web Browser • Extensible • Shared Resources

  5. Access Grid Cross platform: • Windows • Linux • Mac OSX • Technology: • Transmission: • Multicast (predominately) • Unicast (alternatively) • Venue server and client • Multiple computers combined in a node

  6. Access Grid • Environment: • Room based (most common) • Multiple computers controlled by the Venue Client • Desktop (same software) • Community • http://www.accessgrid.org

  7. Heritage • Heritage • MBone tools ( 90s’ ) • VIC – Video Conferenecing Application • RAT – Robost Audio Tool • Access Grid V1: • Venue Server concept • Access Grid V2: (2002) • Same (basic) tools • Globus Toolkit (Web Services) • Access Grid V3: (Aug ‘06) • Jabber client integration

  8. AG Node

  9. Access Grid • Monitors combined to increase screen area (ie: 3072 x 768 pixels) • Video Resolution: • Usually H.261 @ CIF (352 x 288) • c/w H.323 • University of Queensland has demonstrated HD integration • Enhanced VIC to display MPEG2

  10. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has:

  11. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms

  12. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI

  13. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI • a list of participants

  14. Venue Client • “control centre” of the AG software • Navigate between venues • Venues are organised hierarchically • Each Venue has: • List of available rooms • has a URI • a list of participants • a chat client

  15. VIC & RAT

  16. Access Grid on a Desktop

  17. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

  18. The Tools: EVO • What is EVO? • A distributed collaboration tool incorporating: • Video • Audio • White Board • Share files • Where has EVO come from? • Funded by the High Energy Physics community (LHC) • Where is EVO going? • Gaining acceptance outside the HEP community • Support contracts available

  19. So exactly what is EVO? • Closest Analogy “Desktop Based Access Grid” • Features: • Uses Java – No software needs to be installed • Firewall friendly • H.323 Integration • Desktop sharing • Whiteboard • Commercial support • SIP & POTS • Shibboleth Integration • Multilanguage

  20. EVO Running

  21. EVO Running Participants wearing headsets

  22. EVO Running Speaker is emphasised

  23. EVO Running Layout controlled automatically

  24. Terminology • EVO – Enabling Virtual Organisations • Panda Server – Back end infrastructure • Koala – User client • Vievo – Video Conferencing Client • jRAT – Java Robust Audio Tool • EVOWB – White Board

  25. Architecture • Each Koala connects into the ‘panda cloud’ • All traffic to/from a Koala is to a specific panda

  26. Architecture • Panda servers exchange data (audio, video, etc) as necessary • The ‘panda cloud’ is hidden from the end user

  27. Koala

  28. Redundancy • Panda servers are the ‘data warehousing’ point • All users data is exchanged to the EVO environment through the chosen panda server • Upon connection the closest panda server is chosen • User can prefer another panda server

  29. Redundancy • If the preferred panda server isn’t available – the next closest is chosen • No action’s required by the user

  30. Monitoring

  31. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

  32. Feature Comparison • Other codecs available (ie: MPEG2, HDTV) although not in the current AGTk distibution • Multicast is the default; using a bridge Unicast is possible • Multicast available through the JANET UK community

  33. Feature Comparison • Ports defined on Venue Server; Unicast ports can vary (range) • All traffic (video/audio/IM/Presence/booking/..) uses a well defined unique port • Yes if using Unicast • All video / audio handled through TCP connection to Panda

  34. Feature Comparison

  35. Feature Comparison • Using a gate keeper possible to dial into an MCU or the PSTN using a standard phone number • EVO Phone gateway in several places in US, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia

  36. Feature Comparison • Chat is limited to the currently active room • Separate chat windows are maintained for each community and the currently active room

  37. Feature Comparison • Different Node configurations managed through venue server; rich configuration of cameras available • Start additional cameras using ‘aux video’; camera control very simple

  38. Feature Comparison • Shared Applications can be written an integrated into the AG environment

  39. Overview • Overview of the Tools • Access Grid • EVO • Comparison • Summary

  40. Summary • Access Grid and EVO are both powerful multi-user collaboration tools • Access Grid has: • A large user base • Strong community • EVO has: • Easy to use • Cross Platform (Uses Java)

  41. Summary • Access Grid and EVO are both powerful multi-user collaboration tools • Access Grid has: • A large user base • Strong community • EVO has: • Easy to use • Cross Platform (Uses Java)

  42. Summary • So which one to use … • Depends on the community … • Access Grid works very well in room based systems • EVO is a very simple desktop based system • Your choice! 

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