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General QuestionsQ: What is the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility is an easy, affordable online utility computing service available for $1/CPU-hr.The Sun Grid Compute Utility provides a multi tenant virtualized compute environment. The Sun Grid Compute Utility offers a simple click-through license, Internet ready access at very modest $1/CPU-hour with no minimum purchase, no advanced reservation and no annual contract required. Use the Sun Grid Compute Utility to run High Performance Compute (HPC) or Batch applications, to provide added capacity for a seasonal peak volume, or to help your start-up or emerging business maximize cash flow. Users can now also choose from the ISV and open source applications published on Application Catalog for their HPC demands.
Q: What is the Application Catalog?
A:
Application Catalog on Network.com, powered by the Solaris 10 OS, enables ISVs to offer their software applications as a service over the network to end users. Developers and Open source communities can now share their applications at Network.com allowing users to just “Click and Run” these applications going beyond downloads. End users get immediate access to HPC applications in the Application Catalog on Network.com and speed time to results without large investments in IT infrastructure, without the need to install applications, and with no the long term contractual commitment and lock-in. For more information, please refer to the section on Application Catalog below.
Q: What is a CPU-hr?
A:
For each job the user submits and runs, the user's Sun Grid CPU usage is aggregated and then rounded up to the nearest whole hour. For example, if your job used 1000 CPUs for one minute, it would be aggregated as 1000 CPU minutes or 16.67 CPU hours. The software rounds this up to 17 hours and the job would be billed as US $17.
Q: How can I find out if the Sun Grid Compute Utility is available in my area?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility is currently available exclusively to users located within the United States.
Please note: Both the user and the user's IP address must be from within the United States
Q: What are customers using the Sun Grid Compute Utility to do?
A:
The following list provides a sample of probable applications:
Q: Who will benefit from the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
Today and increasingly in the future, Sun Grid Compute Utility provides a cost efficient, scalable and easy accessible solution for a large and growing list of users and application needs. Sun Grid Compute Utility provides more individuals and enterprises with just in time and cost effective access to High Performance Computing (HPC) scalability. Here are just a few examples:
Q: What are the technical capability benefits of a Sun Grid Compute Utility network.com account?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility service provides access to:
Q: How do I connect to the Sun Grid Compute Utility Services portal? How fast will data be transferred?
A:
Users can connect to the Sun Grid Portal and use secure internet connection to perform data transfer to and from Sun Grid. File transfer speed will be dependent on your Internet connection and/or Internet Service Provider (ISP). For example, a file transfer of 1MB over a T1 1.5 Mb/sec link could take as little as five seconds. Your actual transfer time may differ based on uncontrolled network connectivity variables.
Q: How do I become a new Sun Grid Compute Utility user? How do existing customers submit a Sun Grid Compute Utility job?
A:
New Sun Grid Users:
Existing Sun Grid Users
Q: How do I change my Sun Grid Utility password and/or update my registration information?
A:
For your security and to best protect the integrity of your data, please maintain your own account user name and password information on the Sun Grid. Changes are quick and easy to make:
Q: What happens when you update your Sun Grid personal information?
A:
When you update your personal information you will be required to re-apply for a Sun Grid account and go through the export re authorization process again as follows:
Q: How long after my Sun Grid Utility registration will my account be activated?
A:
You will be notified via email with regards to the status of your request. We make every effort to notify you within 2 business days, excluding U.S. holidays. However, in the event of heavy volume, responses may take a little longer; we appreciate your patience. Please do not register for another account as this will only delay your original request. Should you have any questions, please send mail to Sun Grid Utility Customer Care at sungrid-help@sun.com.
Application catalogQ: A:
Publishing to the application catalog is easy. Once you have a tested application in Sun Grid, you can create a job template with an option to set a fee for the application and then submit for approval to publish. The network.com team will then upon review approve your application for sharing. Once approved, you can share the application for free or for a fee with all the users on Sun Grid. You can also unshare a shared application removing it from the Application Catalog at any given point in time.
Q: How do I charge for my application in the catalog
A:
You can enable the Digital Entitlement Token system when creating a Job Template. Once enabled you can offer X.509 signed Digital Tokens to the end users. For more information on the token system, please refer to the latest release notes here
Q: Does it cost to list in the catalog?
A:
No, publishing to the catalog is completely free.
Q: How is my application protected in the catalog
A:
The underlying infrastructure and the Job Template security mechanism protects your application from being downloaded.
Q: How do I track usage of my application
A:
To track the usage of your application(s) go to“My Account” Tab in the Sun Grid Portal and track using “view template usage”.
Q: How does billing of my application work?
A:
Based on the Digital Tokens issued for the application, the underlying Sun Grid infrastructure tracks usage by CPU hrs used in near real time validating that the user’s execution time matched the entitlement. ISVs can offer either pay per use or unlimited usage tokens.
Q: What are the applications currently listed in the catalog?
A:
Here is a list of the current applications in the Application Catalog More applications are being added constantly. Please log in to Sun Grid to see the latest additions.
Q: How do I use an application in the catalog?
A:
Once logged in, choose the application you want to run from the “Job Catalog” and enable it in your jobs list by clicking the button “Checkout Job”. Upload your data using “Create” under the resources Tab, and then you are ready to use this application to process your data. If you have been issued a Token by an ISV you need to include that in this job as well.
Q: What is a token? Why do I need it and how do I buy one?
A:
Tokens provide a new way to license the applications in Network.com. You need them to use applications that are chargeable by ISVs/Developers. You need to contact the ISV/Developer offering the application to buy your digital tokens.
Billing/Purchase QuestionsQ: What is the cost of the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility is provided at US $1 for each CPU-hr consumed. The Sun Grid Utility Services are non-discountable. Please see question 14 for details on how each CPU-hr is metered..
Q: How is the Sun Grid Compute Utility CPU-hr billing calculated?
A:
There are no hidden costs. Your Sun Grid Compute Utility CPU usage is aggregated and then rounded up to the nearest whole hour For example, if your job used 1000 CPUs for one minute, it will be aggregated as 1000 CPU minutes or 16.67 CPU hours. Rounded up, it will be billed as US $17. For a limited time, all Sun Grid Compute Utility customers will also receive up to 10 GB of storage at no additional cost. Please note: currently your storage allocation is limited to 10 GB. If any job exceeds your 10 GB allocation, your job will be terminated
Q: What are the Sun Grid Compute Utility payment options?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility is a pre-paid service. Currently, portal access is available for pre-paid credit card purchases only. Sun uses PayPal to facilitate this e-commerce transaction. You may use your existing Paypal account or establish a new PayPal account. . Alternatively you may be eligible to place a purchase order by contacting us at sungrid@sun.com.
How to get a Paypal Account
Q: How long is my data stored on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
As long as your account is active, your data is securely kept on Sun Grid. If your account is inactive for 180 days (i.e. no jobs have been executed in that duration), all data associated with your Sun Grid account will be deleted.
Q: How do I see my Sun Grid Compute Utility usage and billing information?
A:
At the completion of your job, your Sun Grid Compute Utility CPU-hr account balance is updated and visible on the Sun Grid Utility dashboard. Details of your balance and history are available within the “My Account” interface tab.
Technical QuestionsQ: What are the basic minimum technical requirements to run an application on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The following requirements must be met:
Q: Does my application need to be multi-threaded?
A:
No. Multi-threaded applications will benefit from the multiple CPU systems that comprise the compute nodes of the Sun Grid Compute Utility but are not a requirement for effective usage of the Sun Grid Utility. Applications that are well suited to parallel execution on many systems may or may not be multi-threaded but will benefit from execution in the Sun Grid Utility environment
Q: How do I actually submit a Sun Grid Utility job?
A:
After you have established an account on the Sun Grid Utility:
Q: How do I upload data and applications to the Sun Grid Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Utility user combines the data files, execution scripts, executable binaries and all other required files into a compressed archive on the user's local system. After logging onto the Sun Grid Web portal, the user uploads the compressed archive file to the Sun Grid Utility. Once uploaded to the Sun Grid Utility, these compressed files are referred to as "resources." User resources are stored on the Sun Grid and are only accessible by the user who uploaded them.
Q: How do I use an application in the catalog?
A:
Once logged in, choose the application you want to run from the “Job Catalog” and enable it in your jobs list by clicking the button “Checkout Job”. Upload your data using “Create” under the resources Tab, and then you are ready to use this application to process your data. If you have been issued a Token by an ISV you need to include that in this job as well.
Q: Is there a Sun Grid Utility minimum term I must use?
A:
No. There is no minimum contract term or minimum volume purchase. You can use as little compute power for as little or as much time as your project requires. The system aggregates usage and rounds it up to the nearest dollar, so the minimum charge for any single job is US $1
Q: How much Compute Utility storage is available?
A:
For a limited time, Sun is providing each Sun Grid Compute Utility customer up to 10 GB of storage at no additional monthly charge. Storage usage is visible from each tab within the Sun Grid Utility portal. As your available storage allotment reaches 80% , a warning symbol appears next to your disk usage indicator. Please note that any time your storage usage exceeds 10 GB, your job will be terminated until you comply with the 10 GB storage limit. To discuss this policy, please contact sungrid @sun.com. All inactive customer data more than 180 business days old will be deleted from the Sun Grid Utility data center files
Q: How much RAM can I get access to on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility is configured with 4 GB RAM/CPU. Each system is comprised of two single-core AMD Opteron processors, so there is up to 8 GB RAM per system
Q: How long is inactive customer data stored on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
All Sun Grid Utility inactive customer data more than 180 business days old will be deleted from the Sun Grid Utility data center files. To remain an active Sun Grid Utility customer , a job must be executed within the 180 active business day period.
Q: Is it possible to write files to an external computer? Do you open ports to allow access to external computers?
A:
No, we do not offer this feature currently. Future releases of the Sun Grid Utility may establish a Web services interface providing enhancements over the current set of functionality. If this is a feature you desire, please use the feedback button within the portal to let us know what would be helpful to you.
Q: What is the Sun Grid Utility Services network transfer protocol?
A:
Standard Internet protocol is the only transfer mechanism available, so file transfer speed will be dependent on your Internet connection and/or Internet Service Provider (ISP). For example, a file transfer of 1 MB over a T1 1.5 MB/sec link could take as little as five seconds. Your actual transfer time may differ based on uncontrolled network connectivity variables.
Q: Can other users run on the same Sun Grid Utility node concurrently with my job?
A:
Scheduling of user jobs is implemented with the goal of maximizing usage of computer resources. For this reason, when two user IDs can share a node without interference, they will be scheduled to share a Compute Utility node
Q: What access methods are allowed? Does the user have root access to the systems?
A:
To protect the user and his/her data, root access will not be available on Sun Grid Utility Services.
Q: What parallel environments (pvm, mpi, etc.) are available for use on the Sun Grid Utility Services?
A:
MPICH v1.2.6, an open implementation of the “Message Passing Interface”is the only parallel environment currently supported on the Sun Grid. MPICH is configured to leverage IP-based networking in our configuration, and is available on Sun Grid as an included resource for you to use without additional charge.
Q: Which compiler should I use for the Sun Grid Utility?
A:
You should compile and test with your preferred compiler for Solaris 10/X64 before uploading the executable binary to the Sun Grid Utility. The Sun Grid Utility is configured to support the runtime libraries from both gcc3 and Studio 10 compilers available through the Sun Developers Network (SDN) at: http://developers.sun.com
Q: Where can I access a download for Solaris 10 for Intel and the Sun Studio compilers
A:
Downloads for Solaris 10 x86 are available at:
http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/get.jsp Downloads for the Sun Studio Compilers are available at: http://developers.sun.com/sunstudio/downloads/ Q: Can the Sun Grid Compute Utility run binaries compiled on a SPARC system?
A:
SPARC-based applications can be easily re-compiled for execution on Solaris 10 for X86 or Solaris 10 for X64 to run on the Sun Grid Compute Utility. UltraSPARC- based Solaris binaries compiled are not supported on the Sun Grid Compute Utility.
Q: Can I use the Sun Grid Compute Utility for development purposes? If so, is the system x86 or SPARC?
A:
The developer is an important part of the Sun Grid Utility ecosystem. The Sun Grid Utility compute platform is only set up to handle batch workloads and there is no interactive access. To participate in the Sun Grid Developer Community, please visit the "Sun Grid Developer Community" website at
http://developers.sun.com/sungrid/ Q: Do native Solaris applications run on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
Application binaries targeted at Solaris 10 X64 or Solaris 10 x86 as well as Java applications that have been tested under Solaris 10 will run on the Sun Grid Compute Utility
Q: What browsers does Sun Grid Utility Service support?
A:
Sun Grid Utility users can access through Internet Explorer 6, Firefox, Mozilla and Safari
Q: If my application runs on an earlier Sparc Solaris releases, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 (RHEL 3)or SuSE Linux (Enterprise 9) will it work on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid's Compute Utility servers are x86 compatible and run Solaris 10 with N1 Sun Grid Engine software. Most applications that run on earlier Solaris releases, Red Hat RHEL 3 or Novell SuSe Linux (Enterprise 9) can easily be recompiled to execute on Sun Grid Compute Utilitiy's Solaris 10 x86 environment. Alternatively the Private Utility does offer support for earlier Sparc Solaris releases, Red Hat, and Novell SuSe Linux releases for customized customer solutions.
Q: How can I run Linux targeted applications on the Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
Applications targeted for Linux must be recompiled and tested under Solaris 10 x86 for execution on the Sun Grid Compute Utility.
Please see the Sun Grid Developer’s guide at: http://developers.sun.com/sungrid/ under the heading "Documentation" for the latest in Sun Grid Compute Utility developer documentation and tools. Developer support for migration to Sun platforms is available at: https://partneradvantage.sun.com/partners/migration/. Application migration services for the data center are available at: http://www.sun.com/service/datacenter/applicationmigration.html Security QuestionsQ: How does Sun help to secure my Sun Grid Utility account?
A:
All users must receive approval for access to the Sun Grid Utility Services. After access is granted, users can submit jobs. These jobs run under control of the grid scheduling system and Solaris 10. As an additional security measure, Sun Grid Utility users are not allowed to directly access execution processors (compute nodes), and their jobs can not directly access Internet sites.
The Sun Grid Compute Utility provides the following layered defenses around critical information assets: Physical security: Sun Grid Utility centers are located in secure sites, all networking/ systems/storage equipment is in locked cages with limited access by pre-cleared personnel. Architectural security: The Sun Grid Utility is designed with Solaris and network security isolation for user jobs, and with role-based access principles. The Sun Grid architecture design incorporates the principles of minimal privilege for users and administrators, hardening of systems and network components along with best practices for security. Access-Level security: The Sun Grid Utility leverages state-of-the-art networking equipment and secure configurations to help ensure maximum security. Job submission security: The Sun Grid Utility enforces a high degree of anonymity in job submission with submitters using unique UNIX user accounts for each job submission. Operational security: A high degree of process automation is built in, resulting in fewer personnel and less interaction with Sun Grid Utility jobs and data. The Sun Grid Utility also implements two person operational security with two individuals concurrently overseeing critical security processes. Proactive Security Review: By actively monitoring Sun Grid security, and expanding the functionality in the product, Sun is committed to enhancing the on-going security of the utility. Q: How is the network transfer protected?
A:
Transfer of user resources and User Interface Web site access are accomplished using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) over the HTTPS protocol. The Sun Grid Compute Utility was designed to offer broad compute functionality balanced with the security requirements of the overall environment. Sun has taken many security precautions, including runtime monitoring of the Sun Grid Utility.
Q: How can I be protected myself from a malicious program being submitted on my behalf ?
A:
Understand that account security is key to ensuring a positive experience on the Sun Grid Utility site. Do not provide your personal account name and password access to anyone. Sun Grid account sharing is not authorized and will result in account suspension or termination. Please protect your Sun Grid Utility userid and password.
The following outlines what you can do if you suspect that an unauthorized party has accessed or has attempted to access your Sun Grid Utility account.
If you are able to successfully sign-in, please take the steps outlined below to secure your account:
Q: What should I do to protect myself from fraudulent e-mail?
A:
We at Sun Microsystems, Inc and our affiliated companies worldwide are committed to respecting your online privacy and recognize your need for appropriate protection and management of any personally identifiable information you share with us. In order to protect yourself from fraudulent email and password capture scams, it is important that you understand our customer care and security practices... What we do..... What we don't do..... If for some reason you are required to reset or change your password, you will be directed to do so ONLY by use of the Sun Microsystems Password help page. Note that this page will NEVER ask you for your current password located at http://mysun.sun.com/apps-pages/mysun/jsp/gethelp.jsp We will not respond to any email requests regarding any account which do not EXACTLY match the email address we have on file. We will not send e-mails with "active" content such as Java, Javascript, ActiveX based attachments, or pop-ups We will not ask you to open any attached file, or download any file to your system other than output files generated by jobs run by you. What to watch out for.....
Q: What should I do if I am suspicious about e-mail?
A:
If you are ever suspicious of any email or communication you receive from Sun Grid, please send mail to: Sun Grid Utility Services Customer Care at: sungrid-help@sun.com . Please forward the entire email, without making any changes to any part of the email or its headers. You will receive a reply from a Sun Grid Security staff member whose e-mail will be cryptographically signed with a certificate bearing the full legitimate email address of the staff member.
Q: How can I get physical access to the Sun Grid?
A:
The Sun Grid is designed to be 100% remote access. Physical access to the Sun Grid Utility sites is not permitted.
Q: How will the Sun Grid Utility Services expand to meet customer demand?
A:
Currently Sun Grid Utility Services utilizes multiple U.S. locations. These locations have been selected both to support existing demand and forecasted early adopter acceptance. As part of our remote access only security practice, we will not be advertising or publishing data center locations. Sun has plans to expand the Sun Grid Utility Services globally in the coming months.
Q: My data is confidential. How do you ensure adequate security for my application and data?
A:
The Sun Grid Utility is a secure environment. Within the Sun Grid Utility, user data is kept in a compressed format under the control of the administrative software at all times other than during the execution of a user job. During the execution of a user job, applications and data are protected as user specific files within the context of Solaris 10 standard security mechanisms. For more information on Solaris 10 security features , click here
Developer Community QuestionsQ: Where do I go to learn about developing for Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Compute Utility Developer Resource, hosted at the Sun Developer Network, provides news, forums where you can post questions, documentation, blogs from the Sun Grid team and more.
The Sun Grid Community at java.net hosts a growing number of open source projects all focused on deployment to the Sun Grid Compute Utility. The community uses a community@sungrid.dev.java.net email discussion alias (click here to register) with a useful archive. Q: Are there ways for developers to get promotional hours?
A:
Yes, absolutely, see Getting Started and SG-Pilot program.
Partner QuestionsQ: Will the Sun Grid Compute Utility Services support commercially available software applications?
A:
Yes. You can sign up for an account on Network.com to upload your application to the Application Catalog. For more information, please refer the section on Application Catalog
Q: How can ISVs offer their software on Sun Grid Compute Utility?
A:
The Sun Grid Readiness program is available to Sun's Partner Advantage members at Associate levels. As part of the offering, Sun partners can engage with Sun to Grid-enable their applications and offer as a service to their customers. If you are interested in offering your software on Network.com, please visit http://www.sun.com/partner/grid to join the program .For more information, please refer the section on Application Catalog
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