Slovenian National Supercomputing Network
Slovenian National Supercomputing Network (SLING) is a consortium for the development of grid computing and management of supercomputing infrastructures in Slovenia. It is managed by Arnes, which represents Slovenia in European and global organisations. Additionally, it enables users access to key national infrastructure services and Arnes’s supercomputer.
SLING aims to establish a sustainable national grid computing and HPC infrastructure, with access to national and European capacities for partner organisations and users. The consortium also ensures the connection of the national into the European infrastructure and the equal participation in the European Grid Initiative (EGI). It provides help to partners newly entering the consortium, as well as help in organisational and infrastructural matters and functions as the arbitrator in partner agreements. Lastly, SLING strives to promote and provide help for the use of HPC in new research areas.
Goals
Establish a sustainable national grid computing infrastructure, with access to shared national and European capacities for partner organisations and users.
Connect the Slovenian to the European infrastructure.
Cooperate equally within EGI, PRACE, and others.
Provide help in incorporating new partners
Promote and provide help for the use of HPC in new research areas.
Provide organisational, infrastructural and arbitration support within cooperation agreements between partners.
Role
Grid computing infrastructure has become an integral part of the common European research area and European development programmes. The development of grid computing technology and infrastructure has been very successful in Europe, but has been based on models of development projects with temporal and organisational constraints. For this reason, there is a consensus in the European Union that a long-term model for the development, organisation and funding of national grid initiatives is a prerequisite for the further development of European e-Infrastructures. These will act as an organisational, technical and coordinating body and will ensure integration with other grids, in particular GÉANT and the large grids outside Europe.
The opportunities offered by grid computing technology and the European grid network are particularly valuable for smaller institutions and countries that cannot provide adequate computing capacity (for the modern research, academic and industrial needs of their organisations) on their own. With the help of the grid infrastructure and the use of shared facilities, they can apply modern, more sophisticated methods, process disproportionately larger volumes of data, collaborate on larger projects in their field of interest and use common data sources. Grid technology has become a key element of the European Research Area’s infrastructure because it allows for combining dispersed IT capacities into a single system and infrastructure, thus promoting better exploitation of capacities and growth of international cooperation.
If the European grid network is to continue to provide low-cost and efficient access to computational and data resources for all stakeholders, it is essential that we ensure the following:
Standardisation of programming interfaces and services
A common organisational body and central services for coordination
Control of the national infrastructure
Connecting to the European infrastructure and the European Grid Initiative.
