SURA-NMI Integration Testbed
2001-2005

Click here for the NMI Integration Testbed Case Study Series

SURA managed the NSF Middleware Initiative (NMI) Integration Testbed program as part of the NMI-EDIT Consortium under NSF Cooperative Agreement 02-028, ANI-0123937. This program brought real life feedback to bear on the design and evolution of NMI middleware from September 2001 through May 2005. A middleware-enabled, robust IT infrastructure is key to growing the science capacity of the South and the nation - a primary focus of the SURA mission. Through the NMI, SURA members and collaborators contributed to the immediate advancement of scientific applications and the establishment of a sustainable cyberinfrastructure for broad and future use.

NMI Testbed sites were selected through a Call for Participation and external review process and included the University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Alabama at Huntsville, Georgia State University, University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Michigan, Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Virginia and the University of Southern California (on a non-contract basis.) These sites' qualifications, diversity and collaborative spirit were key to the program's success. Each site leveraged institutional resources to complement NMI resources, advancing middleware integration in both research and enterprise applications and uncovering commonalities in how such integration could succeed.

NMI Testbed sites submitted over 220 evaluation reports as feedback into the NMI development cycle. Evaluation was leveraged to bolster access to existing resources and offer new applications and services. Middleware-enabled enterprise indentity management led to applications such as secure VPNs, campus white pages, authenticated downloads, and integrated course management, while nearly all sites initiated or catalyzed the building of a campus grid. The NMI Testbed Grid was initiated across sites in September 2003, leading to the development of SURAgrid, a multi-institutional effort to model scalable heterogeneous (vs. project-specific) inter-institutional sharing.

Perhaps the most significant contribution of the program was outreach to new or extended user communities, disseminating experience from a variety of implementations to meet campus needs.

- The team produced four NMI Testbed Results workshops and numerous presentations at major academic community events.

- Participants' experience was leveraged to prototype training for the implementation of NMI-based Directory Services, in collaboration with the NMI-EDIT Consortium. With funding from the NCSA Alliance PACS (Partnership for Advanced Computational Services), workshops were delivered to early adopters from the Consortium of Independent Colleges and the NSF AN-MSI (Advanced Networking, Minority-Serving Institutions) and demonstrated the value of such practical workshops to extend middleware deployment.

- The program further expanded awareness through undergraduate involvement under the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Students at Georgia State University, Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Michigan and the University of Virginia evaluated and deployed NMI components in a variety of settings, helping to inform development while increasing their understanding of middleware and its potential to change the way scientific research is done.

The NMI Integration Testbed Case Study Series captures some of the most significant outcomes of the program's integration efforts and provides a breadth of insight and approaches for others looking to deploy.

NMI Integration Testbed Documents & Presentations

NMI Integration Testbed Case Study Series

Broadening Perspectives on Middleware and Grid Technologies

• Exploring Technical and Policy Considerations for Inter-Institutional Grids: NMI Testbed Grid, (November 2004)
• Authentication & Authorization in SURAgrid: Concepts and Technologies, (May 2005)
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates within the NMI Integration Testbed Program, (November 2004)

Building Campus Grids

• Georgia State University: Shifting the Grid Paradigm with NMI, (May 2005)
• University of Michigan: How Grid Science and MGRID are Changing Research and Education, (January 2005)
• Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin: UT Grid Design & Implementation, (November 2004)
• Building a Campus Grid: Concepts and Technologies (September 2005)

Developing Enterprise Infrastructure

• University of Florida: Identifiers, Social Security Numbers, and Identity Management, (January 2005)
• Florida State University: Identity Management & NMI-Component Integration, (January 2005)
• Georgia State University: Building an Identity Management Infrastructure for the eUniversity, (October 2004)
• University of Virginia: Campus PKI Services/Bridge CA, (May 2005)

Grid Application Planning & Implementation

• University of Alabama in Huntsville: Data Mining in the Modeling Environment for Atmospheric Discovery, (February 2005)
• University of Alabama in Huntsville: Grid Integration with LEAD (Linked Environment for Atmospheric Discovery), (November 2004)
• Georgia State University: NMI Grid Middleware Enhances Georgia State's Cosmic Ray Muon Project, (November 2004)
• University of Southern California: Shibboleth and Pubcookie at USC-Authentication and Authorization for All, (November 2004)
• University of Virginia: Protein Folding on the Grid, (November 2004)

• April 2003, in conjunction with the Internet 2 Spring Members' Meeting
• November 2003, preceding the EDUCAUSE 2003 Annual Conference
• September 2004, following the Internet 2 Fall Members' Meeting
• Preconference session at the EDUCAUSE 2004 Annual Conference in October 2004

NMI Component Evaluation

• Component Testing Guidelines, Release 1
• Component Testing Guidelines, Release 2
• Component Testing Guidelines, Release 3
• Component Testing Guidelines, Release 4

NMI Integration Testbed Reports

• Testbed Status March-October 2004
• Testbed Year 3 Progress Report
• Testbed Status September 2003 - February 2004
• NMI Testbed Year 2 Progress Report
• NMI NSF REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates), June 2003
• Testbed Status January-May 2003
• Testbed Status August-December 2002
• NMI Testbed Year 1 Progress Report
• NMI Testbed Year 1 Site Summary Report
• Testbed Status June-July 2002