Desktop as a Service supporting Environmental ‘omics

Dr David Wallom

University of Oxford

On behalf of the EOSCloud team

Biolinux: A scalable solution • Comprehensive, free bioinformatics workstation based on

Ubuntu Linux

• 10 years & 8 major releases

• 200+ bioinf packages including big integrative tools :-QIIME, Galaxy Server, PredictProtein, EMBOSS, ...Incorporates all software

Dual BootLinux Live Local Servers Cloud

Why Cloud?

Big e-Infrastructure

Biologist

Why Cloud?• Tools such as Biolinux are community enablers

• Data sets can be too big or restricted to easily move

– move the compute to the data

– Researcher work patterns are maintained

• More efficient use of shared resources

• Central maintenance of infrastructure

• Lower barrier to entry (Compared to traditional HPC and Grid)

JASMIN Infrastructure at RAL

• 10/12/14Thanks to Philip Kershaw

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JASMIN Infrastructure at RAL

• 10/12/14 • <number>Thanks to Philip Kershaw

EOSCloud

• A NERC Big Data capital project• Organisationally a tenancy in the Unmanaged Cloud• Interfaces based on JASMIN IaaS software platform• ‘Users’ or VMAdmin are registered JASMIN users

– Each receives two VMs• Biolinux• Ubuntu Docker hosting environment

– Total responsibility for instantiated system– Accessible though standard remote desktop tools

• Utilising single scale of resources would be a waste– Can we scale the users virtual services to take into account demand?

Boosting Resource Capabilities• Users VMs operate in native state ‘Standard’

– Enough capability to access stored data– Configure applications and workflows– Free

• User may boost his running VM to increased capability– Enough to run installed BioLInux analysis applications on useful timescale– Credit consumption only for Boosted instances

• Reference datasets available to users through shared storage

Name # Core Memory (GB) Cost(Credit/hour)

Standard 1 16 0

Standard+ 2 40 1

Big 8 140 4

Max 16 500 8

Desktop as a Service for research

• Giving researchers an environment they are confident in by changing the infrastructure around them

• Creating a new user facility for NERC research communities• Utilise generic cloud capabilities

– Package would operate on any IaaS Cloud– Currently using native VMWare interfaces– Not using platform specific capabilities - no impediment to standards

adoption

• Launch for pilot user communities 31st Mar 2015– Testing and documentation in final days – Engaging pilot user communities (e.g. OSD)

• Investigating other key usage models such as teaching or online learning

THANK YOU & QUESTIONS