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The license for GridStuffer is now the modified BSD license, instead of the more restrictive GPL license. The underlying GridEZ framework remains LGPL.
The Xgrid@Stanford project has now entirely switched its computation needs to the OpenMacGrid cluster. The agents from this cluster will be shared with other scientists that have submitted projects to MacResearch.
A bunch of our Goodies have been updated, with Xgrid FUSE version 0.3.1, GridStuffer version 0.4.5, and GridEZ.framework version 0.4.5.
This is the first public release of Xgrid FUSE, version 0.2.0. Xgrid FUSE transforms an Xgrid controller into a file system. Accessing your controller is now just as easy as plugging an external hard drive. This means your job results will appear as actual files in the Finder or in the Terminal, and you can browse your jobs just like real folders and manipulate results just like real files (well, read-only files). All of this goodness thanks to the fantastic MacFUSE project!
New version of GridStuffer, now at 0.4.4, that fixes a (non-crashing) bug in the parsing of the input file. Surprisingly, this bug has been around for ages, and none of the 2 millions users reported it before. This new version also comes in a nicely packaged dmg file. Inspired by Late Night Cocoa episode 11 and Gus Mueller example, I finally made the jump to an automatic build system that should help streamline the process of getting new versions out the door.
Available on MacResearch, the second part of the Xgrid tutorials series was just posted. In this new instalment, I cover GridStuffer basics.
New version of xgridstatus, a command-line utility that brings to the terminal many features otherwise only accessible in Xgrid Admin. New features include more report options, such as job lists and statistics, as well as automatic reconnection after controller crashes. There are also a number of small bug fixes.
Also available are the versions 0.4.2 of GridStuffer and GridEZ.framework. One crasher fixed, and improved file downloads, all within GridEZ, are the main changes.
I am pleased to announce new versions of both GridStuffer (version 0.4.0) and GridEZ.framework (version 0.4.1), both compiled as universal binaries that will run happily on either PowerPC or x86 macs. These two open-source projects are now developed in parallel, with GridEZ providing the core Xgrid functionality.
New in GridStuffer. A lot of under-the-hood improvements, mostly coming from the new GridEZ framework. The submission process of metajobs in GridStuffer is now easier, faster and more reliable. Connection to local and remote Xgrid controllers is easy and intuitive. The Window menu features a new powerful Xgrid panel that will satisfy all the needs of power users.
New in GridEZ. The GridEZ framework is now much more reliable, and has been extensively tested in GridStuffer. For interested developers, the framework includes easy-to-use Xgrid-wrapping classes and prebuilt user interface elements that ease the development of Xgrid-enabled applications. This new version also includes a metajob class that allows the submission and retrieval of complex multipart jobs, with only a few lines of code. The metajob object uses the famililar "datasource" design also used by NSTableView. Check out this tutorial that shows you how to write your first Xgrid-enabled app in less than 30 lines (and less than 30 minutes)
The MacResearch web site, an online community and resource for Mac OS X in science, has started a series of tutorials on Xgrid, that I will be authoring. The first installment is now online, and goes through some of the basics of distributed computing and Xgrid. It should be a good starting point for scientists curious about Xgrid, and interested in using distributed computing for their research.
Thanks to an unexpected post on digg and an unexpectedly high interest from digg users, the number of visits went from an average of 100 per day to a stunning 10,000 on July 18th, and 5,000 on July 19th. With a flow of new agents, the cluster is registering speeds close to 800 GHz this week.
I am pleased to announce the first public version of GridEZ.framework, a wrapper framework for XGridFoundation, to be used in Cocoa application or tools. The framework is open-source (LGPL) and offers easy-to-use Xgrid-wrapping classes, a built-in panel for user-friendly Xgrid connections, and a Bonjour browser to automatically find local servers. You may want to check out a tutorial that shows you how to write your first Xgrid-enabled app in less than 30 lines (and less than 30 minutes)
This first version needs more real-world testing, and will get some of that when used in GridStuffer. It has limited documentation, but the headers are quite well commented.
Quote from one user (out of 2 users; the other user would be me): "Thank you so much for this framework! It is amazing!"
May 5, 2006. Xgrid@Stanford goes Universal! If you are using an Intel Mac, the program 'biock' that runs on your computer will now be running at full speed. Of course, PowerPC machines will continue to have their own specific code.
May 3, 2006. It is free and beautiful, and you don't even need to participate in the cluster to use it. Download this new version of the Xgrid@Stanford widget . If you are part of the cluster, this new widget displays a fast green pulsing light when your computer is working. All of this laid out in a gorgeous design brought to you by mekentosj, 2 graduate students developing free software for the scientific community in the biology field.
Listen to this interview on CocoaRadio, where I talk about Xgrid, the programming interface for Xgrid, and about the Xgrid@Stanford project. This is a somewhat technical interview, but if you are curious to hear the sound of my voice, get the podcast from CocoaRadio or from iTunes.
Xgrid and the Dashboard finally meet. The result is this splendid widget developed by mekentosj. Read more about it in the Goodies section.
The GridStuffer application, version 0.2.0, is now available for download in the goodies section. This is the application used by Xgrid@Stanford to submit thousands of jobs over the course of several days, and to provide automatic job scheduling, failure handling, and more. If you are yourself an Xgrid developer or user, check it out and give me your feedback.
After some hard work on writing a new client application for Xgrid 1.0, the first real jobs have started to be sent to agents. You may see your machine running our program starting now! There will likely be interruptions in the first few weeks while more tests are run and changes are made. When the code is mature enough, the resulting application will be available for download in the goodies section.
This is it, Tiger is out, as well as the new version of Xgrid. We have updated the web site and have added a special page with some more information about the transition of the project to Xgrid 1.0.
Apple has just announced the release of Tiger by the end of the month, with more than 200 new features. One feature of particular interest is the release of the new Xgrid. Follow that link on the Apple web site, where our project is cited!!
Thanks to a bunch of new computers, the cluster speed has seen an increased activity during the month. Special thanks to the department of computer science at the Tennessee Technological University that now contributes more than 20 macs, most of them dual G5s!!
The web site has a new goodies section where you can download Xgrid-related files and learn more about Xgrid.
Check out this cool, web page. Alexander Griekspoor explains how and why an Xgrid widget could be developed for the release of Tiger. Using the Xgrid@Stanford project as an example, he has developed a demo widget that shows the activity of the cluster in real time and with some stunning graphics.
The web site was updated and have a slightly updated look. Also, the html should now be valid. Special thanks to Greg for putting me on the right track and for his help with BBEdit and html/java subtleties. Have a look at the html code if you wonder how the little gauge in the top right gets automagically updated every minute without reloading the whole page...
Check out the latest news about the project on these slides that were presented at the bcats 2004 meeting and at the department retreat.
Whaooww! The 300 GHz barrier was broken today...
Thanks to an interview in macnews.de about 50 new german/belgian/austrian agents have joined the crowd... Danke schön!
The interview is in German, but here is a translation in English.
Thanks to this post in MacSlash more than 200 people have added their computer to the cluster, which is now running closer to 200 GHz. Thanks, everybody!
Read an interview of Charles Parnot in MacNewsWorld (but read more details about the project here )
The web site has been updated, with a neat banner designed by Cedric, from Mac Depanne, a cool web site with plenty of tips for the french mac-lover. The overall look has also been changed a little, to make it more greenish.
Three new sections have been added to the web site:
A page with the description of the project, both the biological and the computational aspects.
Statistics with a little history of the cluster, a live gauge, and more to come soon...
A non-exhaustive list of links to learn more about Xgrid.
Thanks to a post on the french MacGeneration web site and thanks to the previously mentioned Ars Technica thread, the cluster speed is now flirting with the 100 GHz, as shown here
Thanks to a thread in an Ars Technica forum, the cluster speed has jumped dramatically to reach 50 GHz, with more than 50 machines connected. Merci Andre!
My picture is on the web, in the list of guest speakers at the WWDC 2004 (Apple annual developer conference). Look there for Charles Parnot! If you happen to be at the WWDC, don't miss the Xgrid session on Wednesday... (update: link is broken, they removed all the details of the WWDC 2004... damn it!)
Thanks to a new wave of enrollment, the cluster has been up to 24 GHz recently, and has a maximum potential of 25-30 GHz. It is becoming harder to keep track of all the potential agents, as they are not all showing all the time.
Current size of the cluster: 36 computers, 20 GHz total at its maximum.