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Visualization as a Science Discovery ToolIssues and Concerns
Kelly GaitherDirector of Visualization/Sr. Research Scientist
Texas Advanced Computing Center
September 8, 2011
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Issues and Concerns Maximizing Scientific Impact Managing Data at Scale Providing Resources at Scale Ensuring Broad Accessibility/Developing
Ubiquitous Tools
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Visualization Mantra
The purpose of computing is insight not numbers.
-- R. W. Hamming (1961)
The purpose of visualization is insight not pictures. -- Ben Schneiderman (2005)
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Maximizing Scientific Impact
Image: Greg P. Johnson, Romy Schneider, TACC Image: Adam Ku bach, Karla Vega, Clint Daws on
Image: Karla Vega, Shaol ie Hossain , Tho mas J .R., HughesGreg Abram , Cars ten Bu rstedde, Georg Stadler, Lucas C. Wilcox,James R. Mart in , Tobin Isaac , Tan Bui-Thanh,and Om ar Ghat tas
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Managing Data at Scale
Large-ScaleVisualization
Resource
HPC
System
DataArchive
Display
Remote SiteWide-AreaNetwork Local Site
Pixels
Mouse
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Where Does Technology Fit In?
We have always used technology to createvisualizations of what we see in our minds eye.
What changes over time is the technology we use
to do the visualization.
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LonghornFirst NSF XD Visualization Resource
256 Dell Dual Socket, Quad Core Intel NehalemNodes
240 with 48 GB shared memory/node (6 GB/core) 16 with 144 GB shared memory/node (18 GB/core) 73 GB Local Disk 2 Nvidia GPUs/Node (FX 5800 4GB RAM)
~13.5 TB aggregate memory QDR InfiniBand Interconnect Jobs launched through SGE
~6GB/s to scratch filesystem
~6GB/s to Ranger filesystem
256 Nodes, 2048 Cores, 512 GPUs, 14.5 TB Memory
Kelly Gaither (PI), Valerio Pascucci, Chuck Hansen,David Ebert, John Clyne (Co-PI), Hank Childs
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Hadoop on LonghornPI: Weijia Xu (UT LIFT Grant)
Local Storage Expansion 192 500GB 7.2k drives are installed on 48 R610
nodes on Longhorn (96 usable TB) 112 146GB 15k drives are installed on 16 R710
nodes on Longhorn. (16 usable TB) /hadoop file system Went in to production December 2010 6 early user projects (text mining and
information retrieval) 142k co re ho urs f rom Dec to Feb
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Longhorn Usage Modalities:
Remote/Interactive Visualization Highest priority jobs Remote/Interactive capabilities facilitated through VNC Run on 3 hour queue limit boundary
GPGPU jobs Run on a lower priority than the remote/interactive jobs Run on a 12 hour queue limit boundary
CPU jobs with higher memory requirements Run on lowest priority when neither remote/interactive nor GPGPU
jobs are waiting in the queue Run on a 12 hour queue limit boundary
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Longhorn Queue Structure
Example: qsub -q normal -P vis
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Software Available on Longhorn Programming APIs: OpenGL, vtk (Not natively parallel)
OpenGL
low level primitives, useful for programming at arelatively low level with respect to graphics VTK (Visualization Toolkit) open source software system for 3D
computer graphics, image processing, and visualization IDL
Visualization Turnkey Systems VisIt free open source parallel visualization and graphical
analysis tool ParaView free open source general purpose parallel visualization
system
VAPOR
free flow visualization package developed out of NCAR EnSight commercial turnkey parallel visualization package
targeted at CFD visualization Amira commercial turnkey visualization package targeted at
visualizing scanned medical data (CAT scan, MRI, etc..)
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Longhorn Visualization Portal portal.longhorn.tacc.utexas.edu
Developed to provide easy access toLonghorn and abstract away complexitiesinvolved with command line access
Leverages TeraGrid user portal codebaseand employs a fraction of TGUP developersto ensure continuity
Used for all in-person Longhorn training
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Longhorn Visualization Portal portal.longhorn.tacc.utexas.edu
Specify type ofsession
Specify resolution of
vnc session Specify number of
nodes needed andthe wayness of thenodes
Provides graphic ofmachine load
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Longhorn Visualization Portal portal.longhorn.tacc.utexas.edu
Vnc session opensup in java enabledbrowser
Behaves as if userhad gotten a remotedesktop intoLonghorn.
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EnVisionGreg Johnson, Brandt Westing
Web-based visualizationsoftware that allowsresearchers to developinteractive visualizationsintuitively.
Currently integrated into theLonghorn VisualizationPortal but can runindependently.
Began collaborations withParaView team.
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Summary
Close collaborations with the sciencepartners are key
User support Minimize data transfers if possible
Data stays in single location Scale resources effectively based on use
cases Easy accessibility to and interaction with
technologies encourages diversecommunities participation
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Questions?