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SU's leading-edge campus grid is a free, world-class computing resource for any researcher with an idea
Researchers in SU's academic community now have access to greater computing resources at no cost thanks to the expanding campus computing grid. The grid uses idle desktop computers to perform research-based tasks.
Grid computing links computers on a network to share resources and perform specific research operations. SU's campus grid allows an authorized user to tap into the unused processing power of computers across campus. Authorized users can instruct the computers to perform research tasks when the computers are idle, typically at night and on weekends and holidays.
Duncan Brown is an Associate Professor of Physics at SU. Brown was named a 2010 Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. He is currently using the campus grid for research on gravitational-wave astronomy.
"The SU campus grid will put Syracuse at the cutting edge of campus computing power," says Brown. "It will enable research from small-scale projects by faculty who typically do not have access to significant compute power to large, compute-intensive research such as my own."
The current campus grid peaks at over 3,600 cores. Over the winter break, researchers in Brown's group used a total of 100,000 tasks and 90,000 compute hours to study the gravitational waves produced when two black holes collide. The project utilized processing power from a mix of desktop computers in the Whitman School of Management, ITS, Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Potentially there are about 7,000 machines and 12,000 possible cores available for the campus grid. As the grid grows it provides more computing capacity for researchers.
"The grid provides access to significant compute time to researchers who are currently without dedicated clusters or hardware to operate," says Eric Sedore, Associate CIO for Infrastructure Services. "Similarly, the academic hosting virtual environment provides a low-cost cloud environment for researchers to work in."
The Academic Virtual Hosting Environment (AVHE) creates a customized cloud for researchers to perform small to moderate computationally intensive research tasks. The initial hardware supporting the AVHE is comprised of the resources within Machinery Hall designated for disaster recovery. When the hardware is not involved in disaster recovery efforts it is available to the AVHE for academic work. Longer term, to sustain the AVHE, as researchers acquire funding for their research they can purchase compute cycles, memory, and disk space dedicated within the AVHE to support their research.
The campus grid provides researchers with reliable High Throughput Computing (HTC). The computers in the grid are optimized to perform a large number of small parallel jobs (typically less than 24 hours; most are a few hours), providing high processing capacity over long periods of time. In contrast, High Performance Computing (HPC) focuses on performing jobs, typically long running, as quickly as possible. Currently six researchers from different academic units are using the HTC campus grid.
"The SU campus grid is a world-class facility for high-throughput computing. It will allow us to leverage a substantial additional compute resource for academic research. The scale of the facility is larger than that supported by a typical million-dollar major research infrastructure proposal," says Brown.
The grid utilizes virtualization via Oracle's VirtualBox, the Condor High Throughput Computing System, and the Condor Virtual Machine Coordinator (CVMC), a small application developed by ITS to "glue" together the various components, to schedule the research work. These components are distributed to desktop clients via Microsoft's Active Directory. Condor, developed with support from the National Science Foundation, manages the grid's workload. The computer's task scheduler detects when its host computer is idle, starts up CVMC, and connects to Condor to receive work. When user activity is detected on the computer ITS's "grid watcher" immediately kills the research operations. Virtualization acts as a barrier which separates the researcher and their content from the user's information on the same computer.
"The grid shouldn't impact the user experience in any noticeable way. We're working to keep the research work from impacting the user's day-to-day work," says Sedore. "The user doesn't have to change their usage behavior as a result of the grid being in place."
The grid doesn't require any new hardware and will have a comparatively low cost per computing cycle. The informal working group developing the campus grid includes members from the College of Arts and Sciences and Information Technology and Services (ITS).
"Through ingenuity, new technical options, and a modest investment in staff time we've built a leading-edge campus grid comprised of resources SU already owns," says Sedore. "The grid is a free resource to the University research community and is available to any researcher with an idea."
For more information on the HTC campus grid, including how to put it to work on a research project, contact Eric Sedore at x3534 or essedore@syr.edu.
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Quick Notes
Staff Milestones
David Snow, Enterprise Systems Specialist - 5 years
Marlon Legaspi, Instructional Technology Sr. Engineer - 20 years
James Oad, Information Technology Analyst - 30 years
Staff News
On April 2, 2012 James Bort became the newest member of the Enterprise Application Systems (EAS) team. Most recently James was leading the SU Mobile App development team in Academic Applications and Service Centers (AASC). He has also been working with Imagining America as they look to enhance their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiatives using Salesforce.com. James now reports to Trudi Porter and while he maintains his office space in 1-226 CST for now, he will be moving to Skytop soon. You can contact James at x5986 or jmbort@syr.edu.
Senior Ryan Badman, a math and physics major in SU's College of Arts and Sciences (and Lee Badman's son) has been named a 2012-13 Remembrance Scholar. Remembrance Scholarships are awarded through a rigorous and competitive process that focuses on distinguished academic achievement, citizenship and service to the community. Ryan has also been recognized as a 2012 Goldwater Scholar. The Goldwater Foundation was established by Congress in 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. Last year Ryan was named a 2011-12 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Congratulations Ryan!
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Whet your APPetite!
ITS leverages Newhouse experience to bring Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to SU
ITS is in the final stages of bringing the enterprise edition of Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) to SU. DPS was pioneered on campus by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with their September, 2011 release of the "Best of Newhouse" app and Barcode Magazine for iPad. ITS has negotiated and funded an upgrade to the DPS professional license held by Newhouse.
The DPS enterprise edition will enable all schools, colleges and departments at SU to create their own apps and e-publications, using their existing Adobe Creative Suite and InDesign workflows to author layouts and add interactivity and multimedia. ITS will take these InDesign files and use the Folio Producer tools in DPS to publish .folio files as apps for tablet devices. Apps can be distributed directly, or through the device markets such as Google Play and the Apple App Store.
This new capability puts SU at the forefront of university app publishers, and positions the University to capitalize on the changes tablet devices are bringing about. There's clearly a surge in tablet ownership. Among college students, ownership has more than tripled in the last year according to a recent Pearson Foundation survey. The survey estimates that as many as 25% of college students now own a tablet, compared to just 7% last year. Among all adults, reports the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, 19% now own a tablet computer and 19% own an eBook reader, with 9% owning both. This is almost double the ownership seen just two months earlier. The highest rates of ownership are among consumers who are college graduates, are age 30-49 and have incomes of $75,000 or more. 36% of adults with incomes of $75,000 or more now own a tablet. All indications are that tablet ownership will continue to grow.
It's no wonder the demand for tools to create and distribute apps for tablets and eBook readers is coming to a boil.
Adobe touts DPS as the premier solution for creating, distributing, and optimizing engaging content and publications for tablet devices, including iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, Nook, Xoom, Playbook and others. DPS is emerging as the platform of choice for major app publishers including New Yorker Magazine, Men's Health, National Geographic, GQ, Consumer Reports, Wired, Fast Company, Martha Stewart and Golf Digest to name a few.
ITS is working out the details of deploying, supporting and utilizing DPS, and soon will have it ready for campus publishers. Stay tuned for information about demos and training opportunities that will help you and your staff get ready to take advantage of ADPS.
If you're interested in knowing more about Adobe Digital Publishing Suite and putting it to work for your organization, contact Jono Chowdhury (x1970, jschowdh@syr.edu) or Jenny Gluck (x5772, jsgluck@syr.edu). |
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Share your Milestones
May is coming, and so is graduation
The school year is roaring to an end and that means graduation is right around the corner. If you or a family member will receive a degree, certificate or another academic milestone from SU this May, or did in December 2011, please send us an email with the details. We'll mention your accomplishment in the June edition of IT Connections.
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IT Professional Development
Staff on the cutting edge
Conferences and Forums
Don Little, Liz Moore, Vince Cobb, Dave Williams, Randall Grimshaw, Peter Pizzimenti, Jon Wright, Michael Currie, Lap Chung and Christopher Fox attended the annual Educational Technology Day Conference on March 22, 2012 in Ithaca, NY. Ed Tech Day is a regional technology event that attracts over 1,600 people annually from the upstate New York region. It features local and national vendors such as Adobe, Apple, Dell, Epson, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and many others.
Michael Frasciello attended the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) annual conference in Portland, OR from March 28-30. A number of University College staff serve on various UPCEA committees, ensuring Syracuse University continues to stay abreast of education programs and aligns with national and international efforts to address societal needs and economic trends.
Training and Education
Lee Badman attended the Fred Pryor Staff to Supervisor training seminar.
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Heads in the Cloud
SU pilots salesforce.com to facilitate customer relationship management
Several months ago Information Technology and Services (ITS) began investigating cloud application development platforms, including Force.com, a product offered by Salesforce.com (SFDC), a leading cloud SaaS (software as a service) application provider. SFDC offers an array of cloud based applications and platforms for a wide variety of purposes, and the Salesforce.com Foundation provides lower cost licensing to 501c(3) organizations like SU. ITS executed a Master Subscription Agreement with SFDC last December and started getting its feet wet with the service.
As familiarity grew with Salesforce.com, so did interest to use SFDC to support Customer Relationship Management (CRM) endeavors on campus. CRM combines business processes, people, and technology as a means to get and keep customers. It's an overall strategy to learn more about customer behavior and develop stronger, lasting relationships. SFDC adds elements of social media, such as their Chatter application, to help the enterprise connect with customers in new ways. The makers of SFDC claim that their application transforms customer service through the power of cloud computing.
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), and Imagining America (IA) are now using SFDC for their CRM efforts. The Technology Services group at the Whitman School of Management provides the IT support for the IVMF, and ITS helped IA get started with SFDC. The Center of Excellence (COE) is in the early stages of working with ITS to assess using SFDC to facilitate CRM. ITS's primary role is to facilitate SU's relationship with SFDC, provide deployment assistance, and manage license purchases.
SFDC is growing in popularity at colleges and universities as CRM for student recruitment evolves. Currently ITS and Enrollment Management are exploring two different options for student recruitment CRM that are built on the SFDC platform.
For more information about Salesforce.com, contact Sam Scozzafava at x4027 or sjscozza@syr.edu. |
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ITidbits
Facts and figures about IT @ SU
As of early April Collage, SU's online digital asset management system, had 36,457 public images and 60,697 total images. There were 343 users in 37 groups. The system consumes 405 GB of storage space. Steve Sartori of the ITS Photo and Imaging Center is the top uploader. He has uploaded more than 52,000 images since the system went live in the winter of 2011. |
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Dell Big Buy April 23 to July 20
Take advantage of discounts on Dell products
For several years IT units on campus have coordinated their Dell purchases in order to take advantage of greater discounts. By approaching Dell with a large commitment of purchases over an agreed period of time, all units can take advantage of the discounts regardless of the department's order size. This buying opportunity is colloquially referred to as the Dell "Big Buy."
This year, the special discounts will be applied to any purchases from Dell between April 23, 2012 and July 20, 2012 through the Dell web portal in eProcurement. If you want purchases to be applied to FY 2011-2012, it is advisable to place your order by June 1 to ensure delivery by June 30.
You can access the Dell web portal by making a FAST request for the eProcurement module in PeopleSoft Financials through your Information Coordinator. Click on the section titled "SU Promotional Pricing April 23 - July 20". There you will find standard configurations of systems, laptops, desktops, and monitors that can be customized to meet your needs. If you can't find what you need, email Stanley Ziemba or Sue Joyner with special requests. If you plan on ordering 25 or more of an item with a special configuration, please send Sue the quote in advance and it will be added to Dell web portal.
For questions or requests, contact Sue Joyner (sejoyner@syr.edu or x2500) or Stanley Ziemba (sjziemba@maxwell.syr.edu or x9011).
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Salute to Service Awards
Celebrating decades of service at SU
Nine ITS employees were honored at SU's Salute to Service awards breakfast on March 29. The awards recognized employees for 25 years, and each five years thereafter, of service at SU. In total, the ITS awardees have 160 years of service at SU.
Recognized for their years of service were: David Hoalcraft (25 years), Leszek Padzik (25 years), Richard Pitzeruse, Jr. (25 years), Wade Stringer (25 years), David Castle (30 years), Neal Coffey (30 years), Cynthia Hoalcraft (30 years), Christopher Dranchek (35 years) and Walley Francis (35 years). Congratulations to all!
Chancellor Nancy Cantor presented each honoree a Tiffany crystal plate engraved with their years of service as a recognition gift. Kal Alston, Senior Vice President for Human Capital Development, hosted the event.
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IT Out and About
Connecting with the campus and beyond
Michael Wunderlich is teaching IST 466: Professional Issues in IM&T this semester. Guest speakers for his class have included Chris Croad, Chris Finkle, Chris Sedore, Kelly Lux, Kate Brodock, Mitch Franklin and Sarah Hagelin. Two guest teachers, Andy Clark and Glenda Ranallo, also stopped by Michael's MIS 325: Information Systems for Managers class this semester. 
Lee Badman is holding for you on line one as a blogger for Network Computing.
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We've Got Answers
SU's technical knowledgebase gets an upgrade and redesign
The Answers system (http://answers.syr.edu) is being redesigned to be a technical knowledgebase of self-help information for the SU community. The information within Answers will include solutions to common technical problems, FAQs, and configuration information. Screen shots and video demonstrations will be used to provide basic how-to information on key systems. According to Dawn Havill, project lead on the redesign of Answers, "when people are having trouble using a system, they want to quickly get an answer to their problem that is easy to follow so they can finish what they need to get done."
Academic Applications and Service Centers (AASC) is partnering with the schools, colleges and departments at SU to generate more relevant Answers content. AASC is also mining Orange Tracker and monitoring requests received by the ITS Service Center to tailor Answers information to better meet the needs of users. While Answers previously used a community wiki approach, where anyone could add content, the new Answers will have content generated and/or managed by designated content editors who are knowledgeable about specific systems and areas.
The target audience for Answers is being expanded to focus more on students, alumni, parents, applicants, and guests - large populations who don't have dedicated technical support teams to assist them when they have trouble using SU systems and technical services. Answers will also continue to provide information helpful to faculty and staff as they use systems such as Blackboard.
As part of the redesign, Answers was upgraded to Confluence version 4.1 on April 3. The new version offers an improved WYSIWYG editor that makes creating and maintaining content easier. Pages are also now based on XHTML and CSS instead of wiki markup, keeping Answers in line with current web standards.
On April 10, the look and feel of Answers was updated to provide better branding and help information. A new logo, revised home page, and additional help information were added. Each page footer now contains a link to a form that can be used to request additional assistance from the ITS Service Center and to provide feedback on the system.
For more information about Answers and its redesign, contact Dawn Havill (x2551 or dmhavill@syr.edu).
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Professional Development Opportunities
Resources that might help you sharpen your edge. Please note that ITS neither recommends or endorses these items.
NYSERNet offers an array of professional workshops, many at their Syracuse office. Get the latest tips and information on new technology and techniques. If you have an idea for a new workshop or session NYSERNet wants to hear from you! Contact Steve Knapp, Director, Network Operations and Education Services at sknapp@nysernet.org.
Fiber Optic Installation, Testing and Troubleshooting Workshop
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
NYSERNet Syracuse Office 8:00 - 4:00
$250/student
Information & Registration
Expanded IPv6
Thursday, May 10 & Friday, May 11, 2012
NYSERNet Syracuse Office 8:00 - 4:00 (Ends at 1:00 Friday) $350/student
Information & Registration
Network Security and Engineering Summit
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
$75/participant. Limited number of discount hotel rooms available only through May 1.
Information & Registration
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Meet #44Social, SU's Social Media Team
This team of students is putting SU on the social map
Last fall, Syracuse University put digital and social media on their list of priorities for communications and marketing by creating a team dedicated to university initiatives in the digital space. Leading these initiatives is Kate Brodock, executive director of digital & social media, who works with various constituents across campus to improve and increase SU's presence and strategies in the space.
Much of Kate's focus in her first six months on the job has been to organize the existing digital and social media structure and create a framework that can support the various (and numerous!) university-wide activities. Additionally, she has developed guidelines and educational resources to help students, faculty and staff engage in the space. She has worked with her entire team to structure strategic partnerships both internally and externally to increase opportunities for SU.
Dan Klamm, assistant director of digital and social media, works with Kate to create strategy for #44Social, SU's student team. SU's approach to social media management is that students are the lifeblood of our institution - so having students on our flagship social media accounts creates an authentic voice more likely to resonate with our community of alumni, students, prospective students, faculty and staff, and fans.
#44Social is comprised of 11 undergraduate students from across the university. Their majors range from public relations to information science to hospitality management, and their extracurricular pursuits include club sports, community service, greek life, and residence life leadership. Their backgrounds are varied, but they all have one thing in common: they are passionate about social media.
Dan guides the team in developing appropriate content for SU's social media and coaches the team in building a robust online community. Although Dan monitors the group's activity on SU's social media channels, he attributes much of the team's success to self-regulation. Team members keep a close eye on each other's work, frequently suggesting content or pointing out areas where things can be refined.
Prior to joining #44Social, many of the student team members had professional experience representing organizations online through internships. Jared Kraham, a junior, created social media strategies for a congressional campaign. Sarah Ostman, a sophomore, managed online communities for incubation start-ups. Joshua John, a senior, helped launch social media campaigns for internationally-renowned musicians. Each team member brings a unique and valued set of experiences to the table.
The team meets every other week to brainstorm new ideas. As a result, they've launched a number of new initiatives over the past few months, including a new Twitter account catering to our on-campus audience (@SUcampus), a Google+ presence, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and several Foursquare initiatives to enhance the student and alumni experience on-campus.
For more information about SU's social media team, contact Kate Brodock (justkate@syr.edu or x4189) or Dan Klamm (deklamm@syr.edu or x4307).
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IT Connections is published monthly by Information Technology and Services at Syracuse University. Please submit story ideas and news items to Chris Finkle.
 
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