Distributed Computing Services project

SCD's Distributed Computing Services (DCS) project is an in-house software development effort aimed at facilitating access to key SCD computing resources by replacing decade-old, platform-dependent, ad-hoc user interfaces with new, easy-to-use, powerful, standards-based user interfaces. The computing resources targeted by the DCS project are the NCAR MSS and closely related Data Interchange (import and export of foreign media) services.

FY1998 saw the successful completion of the second phase of the DCS project: deployment of the 'msrcp' command that provides file transfer capability between the MSS and a host computer. The 'msrcp' command supports powerful features such as recursion and wild carding. Over a terabyte of data is moved each month using this utility. In addition to the 'msrcp' facility, a prototype FTP server was developed in FY1998, permitting FTP access to the MSS from any system with an Internet connection and the ubiquitous FTP client application software. A production FTP server will be forthcoming in the following fiscal year.

The third and final phase of the DCS project, access to Data Interchange services, is also well underway at the close of FY1998. Coding is nearing completion, and a friendly-user test period is expected to begin at the start of the next fiscal year. Deployment of Data Interchange services will mark the completion of the DCS project as originally scoped. FY1999 will see the DCS project enter a maintenance phase, with efforts focusing on porting to new platforms and enhancing existing capabilities.

1998 ASR Home

Back

SCD ASR Index

Next

SCD Home