GridPP PMB Minutes 15 - 17th December 2001 ========================================== Present: Dave Britton, Nick Brook, Pete Clarke, Tony Doyle, Steve Lloyd, Robin Middleton Report back from Oversight Committee - SLL & PELC ------------------------------------------------- They appreciate the size of the job and the challenges, glue between expts, CERN and DataGrid. - better definition of connected projects needed - how does expt work get Grid enabled by the middleware - how is infrastructure rolled out (e.g. what control over SRIF infrastructure), what is the overall coordination - need executive summary in the reports given - risk assessment - more work on Gantt chart (Pete & Daron) - description of the successes expected from GridPP - is this the high level deliverables - more info on operational "difficulties" - what is the interaction with sysadmins, how do we inform them about the Grid - Want us to take a lead on resolving the WP5 situation - a benchmark of the GridPP management ability - this is seen as critical. - Review the GridPP website information - How will the next SRIF (etc) round be co-ordinated - What are the links with the eScience centres and the Grid Support Centres Next meeting will be in March and they will provide a list of what they require. Concern expressed on control over the posts allocated. PELC would like a date that RAL commits to for the D5.1, D5.2. ACTION: TD & RPM to review the WP5 situation offline (and update the recovery plan) PELC expressed concern that in formulating the Gantt chart GridPP do not have full control over the the deliverables. Nevertheless PELC will work with Daron on this and ask the WP liaison people to produce the best they know on this. Concern expressed about GridPP ability to manage the Tier-2 centres, though agreed that this is very difficult. ACTION: TD to iterate with Oversight cttee on understanding this issue. Concern on links with the eScience centres - we should name contacts for each centre ACTION: SLL will write to the directors of each of the eScience centres on how best to work together. ACTION: TD to talk to Guy Rickett on formal feedback from the cttee before 15th PMB Jan Tier-A and BaBar ---------------- Funding profile is established as 1:2, 1:1 and 2:1 LHC:BaBar over the next 3 years. Should be driven by science requirements rather than the higher level concerns. The 4th year is likely to remain at 1/3rd of funding, though this is very uncertain. Roger should also input the contribution from the BaBar Tier-2 monte carlo centres around the UK into the overall BaBar negotiations, in order to maintain constant funding reported back to BaBar. PMB endorses this approach so that the scaling up of LHC resources remains an important consideration. Along with BaBar resources in FR and IN there will be adequate resources for BaBar when aggregated together. Allocation of posts ------------------- 2 expt requirements (ATLAS installation/validation and other expts.) were not fulfilled by the PRSC. However, the PMB endorses the allocation of posts. Each institute should now contact Guy Rickett to speed through the RG2 process (or equivalent for CLRC) so that the recruitment process can start as soon as possible. The question of re-tendering with new resources for the unfunded areas was raised, but it was felt that one should first look to see if the work can be carried out with existing effort. ACTION : NB, TD and Jon Butterworth to get together on installation and validation bid from ATLAS. The other unfunded post was under the "other expts". Question arose from IC that maybe a 0.5FTE post could be funded for this using up money which is likely to be unspent because of the delays implicit in the recruitment process. This was not accepted. DECISION: PMB should review this further downstream once the recruitment process is underway. There is the possibility that UKDMC may wish to become part of GridPP in an "unfunded" capacity. ACTION: TD to follow up with EPCC on the use of the UKQCD post and whether there are implicit benefits for the "other expts". ACTION: SLL to talk to Liverpool on the outcome of the allocations Next Meeting (VC) on 7th Jan 2002 with the usual arrangements.