# Presentation: 006474

## Access Grid

- Node Operation and Planning

*Mary Fritsch**Argonne National Laboratory*

## ...planning for success

## ...the life of a node operator

- Secure a virtual venue (AG reservation)
- Reserve a physical AG room reserved (meeting space)
- Assign a node operator be available to run meeting
- Disseminating information about your meeting to all sites participating (i.e., mailing list, URL)
- Have an general description of event
- Know how many AG sites will attend
- Know how many attendees will attend locally
- Setup teleconference call backup (if participants will be calling in or as a backup)
- Obtain and test all powerpoint presentations or electronic files to be viewed at meeting

**this “is” the short list**

## ...adding planning to the mix

- operator

- sites

- space

- callins

- place

- visuals

## space

- You or another company coordinating the meeting need to reserve virtual meeting space (reservation) on the Access Grid you need to simply fill out this form:  _[http://www.](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[mcs](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[.](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[anl](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[.](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[gov](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[/fl/](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[accessgrid](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[/reserve.](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)__[htm](http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/reserve.htm)_.
- All daily scheduled AG events appear on the schedule pages of the AG Home Page (_[www.](http://www.accessgrid.org/)__[accessgrid](http://www.accessgrid.org/)__[.org](http://www.accessgrid.org/)_)

## place

- For any event, you need a physical AG room in which to have your meeting.
- AG node operators usually reserve this physical place or setup with point of contact.
- It is a good idea to provide a one-line description of meeting and the contact person.

## node operator

- Secure an experienced node operator for your Access Grid room.
- This key person will help manage and communicate among other participating AG sites for your meeting, as well as node operate.

## sites

- Identify the other AG nodes (sites) that are involved in your meeting.
- It is important to have tested and established AG nodes in place for any event.
- Other more experienced staff waiting in the wings is a good idea for a larger scale meeting.

## call ins

- If any participating sites or attendees cannot attend in person and need to reach this meeting via phone, a routine teleconference call should be setup.  Make your node operator aware of this information asap.
- Your administrative personnel should setup any conference call as an unattended tonein.  This call will be patched into the audio system of the AG and broadcast to other sites, thereby "bridging" them in.  (Be sure this process has been tested at the sites.)
- It is a good idea to put telecon information right on the AG Schedule entry information for ease, too.

## visuals

- Please talk with your node operator about all visual aids that are to be used in your meeting.  If PowerPoint presentations will be used, it is a good idea to provide these a day or so before the meeting to all participating sites.
- Posting your files and/or agenda on a webpage is best. Providing an online agenda of sorts with links to any ppts or electronic files (downloads) can help the flow of the AG meeting.  Last minute distribution or emailing of visual aids can be very difficult.  However, websites can be retrieved instantly through any browser during an AG meeting.

## visuals

- Distributed PowerPoint is currently the typical means used to “distribute” presentations.
- However, any *electronic *files (in Windows format) can be displayed as a visual aid for your audience on the Access Grid wall.  Such shared files could be displayed locally at participating sites, but will not be distributed.
- Overhead projectors or camera zooms of your local ppt are discouraged because they cannot be displayed effectively.  The final decision, however, is up to the discretion of your site.

## in other words, be ready

- be self-tested and fully operational
- have a beacon running
- know your site's networking and technical contacts
- invite interested parties to help you test
- establish working multicast
- review the distributed powerpoint instructions and know the name of your server(s)

## living proof

- Remember everything is LIVE!  Coordination, communication, and preparation are key.  Orient yourself with the different Access Grid setup(s) in your company :)
- Spend a little time before the event talking to your AG support staff and attendees, to get comfortable with your surroundings.

## ...node operating 101

## unplugged? turned off? sure?

- projectors on
- speakers on
- cameras on
- all AG machines on
- mics, cables, equipment in tact

## true beginnings

- NOW begin at node op station.  All setups are different.  Some machines are left on perpetually or on save mode.  Check status of each machine before hacking.
- You will be logging into up to four (4) different machines through this one station.  In order to control and move between these machines, you will hit Scroll Lock + Space Bar, then use cursor to switch machines

## fireup display machine

- The Node Operation Station should be left with a Windows login screen, ready for you go log into the Display machine first.  Use your login and passwords.  /  This is a windows machine.
- Start the following applications, in order.  You can find these as shortcut icons, or simply open them as an application through AG Toolkit / Venues 1) event server 2) display manager 3) virtual venues
- Netscape will by default bring up _[http://venues.](http://venues.accessgrid.org/AG/)__[accessgrid](http://venues.accessgrid.org/AG/)__[.org/AG/](http://venues.accessgrid.org/AG/)_.  If this is not your default, you may want to set it as such.
- If this is your first time connecting to the Access Grid, follow the link to register for an account.  Otherwise, enter your AG username and password.  Then you must manually click on “Enter the Access Grid”.
- By default you are taken to the “Lobby” of the AG.  This is the entrance point for all remote sites as well so you will see a large number of persistence spaces up and running, yet no events taking place.
- Proceed to drive to your assigned virtual venue room.

## your wall

- You will see all sites involved in your event via many small video screens up on your AG wall. Arrange them logically.
- Columnar and alphabetically is a good idea (all Company A vertically in a column, all Company B vertically in the next column...) Click, hold and then drag to move.  Enlarge by pressing “m” for medium size, “l” for large size, and back to “s” (this is a toggle key).
- Try to have your images lie within a projector range and not between the seams of two projectors.
- Automatic Placement Tool: Deactivate autoplace for formal meetings within your display menus.  When late participants arrive they appear without notice on your main wall and can be unwanted or distracting.  Use autoplace only at the beginning on an event to layout video streams quickly.
**|  Apps Running Initially from Windows Machine:****    two c:/windows, Event Server Monitor, Display Resource Manager,****    Netscape, tkMOO-light, Tk “AccessGrid Lobby” Room****    (or the one you are in)  |**

## fireup video machine

- Switch to Video Machine as mentioned above.
- Use your (linux) login and passwords.
- Close any unnecessary windows that appear. (i.e., file manager window, Gnome Help Browser
- Click on Terminal Window (icon is a monitor w/ foot overlay)
- type in:  vrm-eventlistener ENTER
**|  Windows Displayed:  Video Resource Manager,****    Your Virtual Venue Room  |**

## fireup audio machine

- Switch to Video Machine as mentioned above.
- Use your (linux) login and passwords.
- Close any unnecessary windows that appear. (i.e., file manager window, Gnome Help Browser
- Click on Terminal Window (icon is a monitor w/ foot overlay)
- type in:  arm-eventlistener ENTER
**|  Windows Displayed:  Video Resource Manager,****    Your Virtual Venue Room  |**

## RATs!

- The RAT application will be displayed.  This will be showing the names of all audio streams currently available in the Lobby.
- Please note that, by default, the "Talk" button is not active -- you will need to click it in order to transmit audio.
- Also, make sure “Talk” status is “In Line”, not “Microphone” or "CD".
- On RAT, hover over and click middle mouse button to mute some – in order to check if they are causing audio problems for you.  Go down the line until you find site with problems.
*	**Check all audio before event starts!*

## driving lessons

- As you move from room to room using the web interface, your Event Server, Display Resource Manager, Video Resource Manager, and Audio Resource Manager will manage your vic, rat, and MUD applications to connect appropriately to each virtual room.
- In other words, *they* follow you.

## dppt trouble

- Most errors are from the following:
-      -check spelling of full pathname     -check URLS     -do you have the right order
- To run something, simply type it in the command window as shown on these instructions.
- Note that PowerPoint requires a full path, even if you're invoking the script from the directory the presentation is in.

## logging off node station

- Start in reverse.
- Navigate back to AG Lobby.
- Quit, Exit, Close!  Don’t just Logoff or X-out of things.  When you have all Display machine windows down, logoff Audio machine by hovering over Gnome icon, clicking right mouse button and choosing logoff.  Login screen will result.  Repeat for Video machine.
- Leave your machine switched to the Display machine (and Audio if you have two monitors) when leaving station or event.

## idiosyncrasies

- Check out your specific AG specs, builds, software, switches, projectors, camera, etc.
- There are differences in every Access Grid node setup and environment.  (not just couch colors)

## Questions?