Asking boss about rolling DC out to work PCs

[Alyx]

Well I've been working here for a couple years now. This is the academic services area of the University, so its education but we don't deal with students.

He's the type of boss that if you don't have you stuff together before hand then he'll discredit what you are saying before you get a chance to finish saying it so I need answers to all the common DC worries before hand.

I'm going to bring up the initial question by email so its half way eloquent.

I'm thinking of starting with WCG because its got a major supporter (IBM) and deals with more medical/save the world projects. So I'll provide a short blurb about WCG.

Also I'll include a list of other Universities that use DC so he won't have to worry about getting in trouble. I'm basing my list on Teams in combined boinc.

Throw in a blurb about security. Throw in that we can stop work while computer is in use. That program is invisible to users. Possibly that we'll go through a short testing phase of giving it to the other IT staff. Note that the computer names and number of computers can be hidden from online.

What else am I missing?

 

[Alyx]

The letter thus far:

Letter to Boss by: Alyx

Hey MrBoss,

I'm emailing regarding a question I've wanted to ask for the last while. I've been active in large Distributed Computing projects for about a year and was curious about installing the program on work computers. I understand this will raise a lot of questions/red flags for you but I think there are answers to all the problems so that these projects won't cause any security or performance issues for the machines. If you have concerns ask me questions and I'll do my best to find answers for you.

I'm sure you've heard of Distributed Computing before but I wanted to give a quick definition. Distributed computing joins together many individual computers, creating a large system with massive computational power that far surpasses the power of a handful of supercomputers. The work is split into small pieces that can be processed simultaneously then sent to individual computers who will respond back with their results. Because of the amount of resources available research time is reduced from years to months. The project that I was looking into is World Community Grid. It is supported by IBM and runs a variety of medical research projects.

http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/

The program itself is a very small app that runs in the background, invisible to the user. You can set all the preferences online for maximum memory and processor usage, whether to work while the computer is in use or only on idle. For security reasons the computers are hid from online, so the out side world can't see the names or number of computers attached. The program uses spare CPU cycles with very low priority so it will scale back invisibly when the user runs programs.

Before installing on user machines I'm sure you'd prefer to install it on possibly ITStaff1 and ITStaff2's machine to see if they notice any differences or conflicts. After my last year of using the program I'm pretty sure they won't notice anything though.



There are a large number of college campuses who participate in projects:


University of Wisconsin
University of Washington
Marist College
University of Toronto
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Texas A&M University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech
Riverside Community College
Michigan Tech
Virginia Tech
UC Berkeley
The Ohio State University
University of Florida
West Virginia University

 

[dajeepster]

As long as he doesn't see the electric bill... you're golden

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: dajeepster
As long as he doesn't see the electric bill... you're golden

Its a University, no one sees it!

 

[Foxery]

I'm sure you've heard of Distributed Computing before but I wanted to give a quick definition.

I'm not sure I would say this. If he's never heard of it, this doesn't sound so good.

For security reasons the computers are hid from online, so the out side world can't see the names or number of computers attached.

"There is no security risk, as the program can only connect to IBM's servers for work, do not accept incoming connections, and is otherwise invisible."

The program uses spare CPU cycles with very low priority so it will scale back invisibly when the user runs programs.

Already covered in your definition of DC. As long as your computers are not particularly old and/or built with notably inefficient parts (such as early P4s, and any more outdated CPU,) say something about putting otherwise wasted electricity to use, since the machines are turned on all the time with nothing to do.

*And unless your school has its own power plant (a few do,) I personally wouldn't run it on old equipment just because it still feels wasteful.

Before installing on user machines I'm sure you'd prefer to install it on possibly ITStaff1 and ITStaff2's machine to see if they notice any differences or conflicts. After my last year of using the program I'm pretty sure they won't notice anything though.

"I would like to start with a trial run on our staff machines, in order to verify that it is safe and unobtrusive before rolling it out to public computers. Having run this on my home machines for over a year without issue, I am confident that this program will not cause us any trouble."

 

[Rudy Toody]

It's looking good!

--Fred

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: Foxery

I'm sure you've heard of Distributed Computing before but I wanted to give a quick definition.

I'm not sure I would say this. If he's never heard of it, this doesn't sound so good.

For security reasons the computers are hid from online, so the out side world can't see the names or number of computers attached.

"There is no security risk, as the program can only connect to IBM's servers for work, do not accept incoming connections, and is otherwise invisible."

The program uses spare CPU cycles with very low priority so it will scale back invisibly when the user runs programs.

Already covered in your definition of DC. As long as your computers are not particularly old and/or built with notably inefficient parts (such as early P4s, and any more outdated CPU,) say something about putting otherwise wasted electricity to use, since the machines are turned on all the time with nothing to do.

*And unless your school has its own power plant (a few do,) I personally wouldn't run it on old equipment just because it still feels wasteful.

Before installing on user machines I'm sure you'd prefer to install it on possibly ITStaff1 and ITStaff2's machine to see if they notice any differences or conflicts. After my last year of using the program I'm pretty sure they won't notice anything though.

"I would like to start with a trial run on our staff machines, in order to verify that it is safe and unobtrusive before rolling it out to public computers. Having run this on my home machines for over a year without issue, I am confident that this program will not cause us any trouble."

Thanks! I added your suggestions.

 

[Alyx]

Hello MrBoss,

I'm emailing regarding a question I've wanted to ask for the last while. I've been active in large Distributed Computing projects for about a year and was curious about installing the program on work computers. I understand this will raise a lot of questions/red flags for you but I think there are answers to all the problems so that these projects won't cause any security or performance issues for the machines. If you have concerns ask me questions and I'll do my best to find answers for you.

Distributed computing joins together many individual computers, creating a large system with massive computational power that far surpasses the power of a handful of supercomputers. The work is split into small pieces that can be processed simultaneously then sent to individual computers who will respond back with their results. Because of the amount of resources available research time is reduced from years to months. The project that I was looking into is World Community Grid. It is supported by IBM and runs a variety of medical research projects.

http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/

The program itself is a very small app that runs in the background, invisible to the user. You can set all the preferences online for maximum memory and processor usage, whether to work while the computer is in use or only on idle. There is no security risk, as the program can only connect to IBM?s servers for work, does not accept incoming connections, and is otherwise invisible. This program will be a good way to utilize the electricity used by machines which are often always left running.

I would like to start with a trial run on a few of our Systems staff machines, in order to verify that it is safe and unobtrusive before rolling it out to public computers. Having run this at home for over a year without issues, I am confident that this program will not cause any trouble.


There are a large number of college campuses who already participate in projects:


University of Wisconsin
University of Washington
Marist College
University of Toronto
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Texas A&M University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech
Riverside Community College
Michigan Tech
Virginia Tech




Oh, and we do have our own power plant. Although I'm pretty sure it only is used when there are problems with the city power grid. And the machines are a fleet of 200 P4-2.8GHz and roughly 100 P-D 3.0 GHz machines.

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Looks good to me - sure hope you get through with it! :evil:

 

[GLeeM]

Looks good Alyx!

You might consider moving the following away from the beginning of the message (or re-word it). It seems a little negative and I think you should have the start of message positive. Keep him thinking positive or neutral for as long as possible!

I understand this will raise a lot of questions/red flags for you but I think there are answers to all the problems so that these projects won't cause any security or performance issues for the machines.

 

[dajeepster]

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: dajeepster
As long as he doesn't see the electric bill... you're golden

Its a University, no one sees it!

umm...no.. my university has installed low lighting with motion sensors in the engineering building to save on electricity... and the university started doing state of the art irrigation that used rain-water and runnoff into reserviors to feed the irrigation system... someone is seeing the utility bills.... but then they'll probably just raise tuition anyways :Q;

 

[dajeepster]

Originally posted by: dajeepster

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: dajeepster
As long as he doesn't see the electric bill... you're golden

Its a University, no one sees it!

low lighting with motion sensors

the lighting is so low, that when you hit it... that's when is senses motion

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: dajeepster

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: dajeepster
As long as he doesn't see the electric bill... you're golden

Its a University, no one sees it!

umm...no.. my university has installed low lighting with motion sensors in the engineering building to save on electricity... and the university started doing state of the art irrigation that used rain-water and runnoff into reserviors to feed the irrigation system... someone is seeing the utility bills.... but then they'll probably just raise tuition anyways :Q;

Yeah, the university has started to install new lights too. They've also gone through and switched the personal cubicle lights to lower power ones and a few other things. From my university experiences though most attempts at change are less about the change and more about the ability to detail the steps you've taken toward change for when someone complains/when you get audited. *shrugs* I dislike working in education...

 

[bryanW1995]

looks good. it's probably a good idea to leave out the power consumption characteristics of dc, however.

 

[RaySun2Be]

If you get approval, be sure to get it in writing, and be specific.

I can't stress that enough.

If the person who gave you the approval leaves or changes jobs, be sure to get it approved in writing, again by the person who now has the authority.

Let's hope that they see the benefits of DC, and say yes though!

Best of luck!

 

[Smoke]

Originally posted by: RaySun2Be
If you get approval, be sure to get it in writing, and be specific.

I can't stress that enough.

If the person who gave you the approval leaves or changes jobs, be sure to get it approved in writing, again by the person who now has the authority.

Let's hope that they see the benefits of DC, and say yes though!

Best of luck!

I was just thinking the same thing myself. Great minds, right? ha :laugh:

 

[Spacehead]

Will there be any bandwidth usage issues? I'm not sure about WCG in particular but that could be an issue with some projects, depending on how many computers you are thinking of running.

Summers coming on... will the added heat be a factor?


RaySun2Be brings up the most important issue... take heed.



Good luck

 

[RaySun2Be]

How could you leave off University of California Berkeley from the list of Universities? :Q

They are the ones that started the DC craze and helped develop BOINC to begin with!

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: RaySun2Be
If you get approval, be sure to get it in writing, and be specific.

I can't stress that enough.

If the person who gave you the approval leaves or changes jobs, be sure to get it approved in writing, again by the person who now has the authority.

Let's hope that they see the benefits of DC, and say yes though!

Best of luck!

Absolutely get it in writing.

Don't want to see you or anyone facing 120 years in prison and a $Million dollar fine.

http://www.freemcowen.com/

Has there been any change in U.S. policy especially at Universities?

Is your University private or public may make a difference too.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Spacehead
Will there be any bandwidth usage issues? I'm not sure about WCG in particular but that could be an issue with some projects, depending on how many computers you are thinking of running.

Summers coming on... will the added heat be a factor?

RaySun2Be brings up the most important issue... take heed.

Good luck

The State of Georgia claimed Distributed Computing used 59 cents a second for bandwidth and that was in 1999. How much has the price bandwidth gone up since then?

 

[legoman666]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Spacehead
Will there be any bandwidth usage issues? I'm not sure about WCG in particular but that could be an issue with some projects, depending on how many computers you are thinking of running.

Summers coming on... will the added heat be a factor?

RaySun2Be brings up the most important issue... take heed.

Good luck

The State of Georgia claimed Distributed Computing used 59 cents a second for bandwidth and that was in 1999. How much has the price bandwidth gone up since then?

it has gone down.

 

[Foxery]

That seems like a pretty bizarre figure. And yes, since the bandwidth of all connections (especially corporate-sized fiber lines) has increased in leaps and bounds since 1999, data that old just can't be used.

Unless your school is still in the dark ages, DC should register as a small blip on your network traffic.

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: Foxery
That seems like a pretty bizarre figure. And yes, since the bandwidth of all connections (especially corporate-sized fiber lines) has increased in leaps and bounds since 1999, data that old just can't be used.

Unless your school is still in the dark ages, DC should register as a small blip on your network traffic.

Small blip is an understatement. I'm at a state school in California. The school is connected to a dedicated educational backbone that runs through the state. My previous job was at a high school in far northern California that was also a hub for this backbone and was sitting on a dedicated OC-12 running to an Oregon college and UC Davis at the other end. Since this school is mid-state the OC-12 number is the least this line can be, I think its probably much faster.

And new news. I sent my boss an email and he came and talked to me today about it. He said for now it was a no, but that he's going to give me the "benefit of the doubt" and put some serious thought into it and see if I can roll it out with SMS to at least a few of the departments.

This isn't much but it is better news than I was expecting because he's usually either the 100% no and no more thought of it or let me think and we'll get this done type. So since its not 100% no there's actually a good chance of it happening.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: Foxery
That seems like a pretty bizarre figure. And yes, since the bandwidth of all connections (especially corporate-sized fiber lines) has increased in leaps and bounds since 1999, data that old just can't be used.

Unless your school is still in the dark ages, DC should register as a small blip on your network traffic.

Small blip is an understatement. I'm at a state school in California. The school is connected to a dedicated educational backbone that runs through the state. My previous job was at a high school in far northern California that was also a hub for this backbone and was sitting on a dedicated OC-12 running to an Oregon college and UC Davis at the other end. Since this school is mid-state the OC-12 number is the least this line can be, I think its probably much faster.

And new news. I sent my boss an email and he came and talked to me today about it. He said for now it was a no, but that he's going to give me the "benefit of the doubt" and put some serious thought into it and see if I can roll it out with SMS to at least a few of the departments.

This isn't much but it is better news than I was expecting because he's usually either the 100% no and no more thought of it or let me think and we'll get this done type. So since its not 100% no there's actually a good chance of it happening.

:beer: That's great news. Glad to hear they are considering it.

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Well, considering is better than saying no! :beer: