The Web and Interface Applications Group controls the way in which OSC HPC clients access and use most OSC systems. The group works to enable easy access through whatever means clients find most comfortable, which still includes command-line interfaces for the old-school users, but, according to the group’s manager Basil Gohar, also features more and more mobile devices – not just phones and tablets, but also watches, glasses and other wearable devices.
Industrial Engagement
There is a huge variety of ways to access the HPC systems. Yeah, it basically all ends up being a batch job submission behind the scenes, but that job is just a means by which you send instructions to the HPC systems. How you compose those instructions could be as simple as inserting a small set of numbers into an algorithm. If you need to adjust those numbers, it’s not necessary to go into SSH to do that. Just go into a web page or open a mobile app, type in the new numbers, submit them and get your results. Making it easy that way is our job.
The bulk of our time over the last year has been spent on the AweSim project. Working with our commercial partners has been, in my eyes, providing them with the access they need to accomplish their goals. We also support the general usage and maintenance of OSC OnDemand, which we plan to make a zero-install type of platform. We’re looking at the interfaces that use the standard technology available to not require additional plug-ins and to avoid things that raise security issues, technology incompatibilities, firewall obstacles and so on.
