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Email Distribution List: worldwide-lcg-management-board@cern.ch
Email List Archive: worldwide-lcg-management-board (requires CERN authentication)
Minutes: Management Board Meeting Minutes
See also the: WLCG Document Repository, WLCG Web Site
CERN
The IT general infrastructure is designed for handling remote access to its facilities while not comprising computer security. In fact, we are operating remotely every year during the CERN annual closure. What is different now, is that there will be many more users working at a distance. To cope with the anticipated load, we are increasing the number of Windows Terminal servers for example and another 30 servers are ready to be used if necessary. We are also increasing the number of licences needed for Video Conferencing. But key to the IT operations is it staff. We have organized ourselves to operate mostly remotely, and have tested this mode of operation during the last weeks. The Service Desk will remain available to handle questions.
We however have limitations with regards to the use of some software packages (essentially engineering), whose licence conditions do not permit usage outside of the CERN fenced area. We are working with the respective vendors aiming at obtaining more flexible conditions.
Some useful tips are available at: https://computing-blog.web.cern.ch/2020/03/useful-tools-for-teleworking/
Concerning videoconferencing, CERN announced a while back the plan to retender the video conferencing contract, expecting a change from Vidyo by Dec 31st 2020. We are urgently trying to fast track this.
So, if we can, in a matter of weeks we will try to have the replacement for Vidyo running in parallel, which should spread the load and give us redundancy. CERN thus encourages experiments not to make independent contingencies, but instead volunteer to be part of the pilot as soon as its ready.
As WLCG T0, also CERN has over the last days largely migrated to service operation via teleworking and we see no major impact on the WLCG services or operations activities. The current plan is to maintain intervention and development activities as far as possible.
BNL
03/16/2020: The lab is opened however staffs are encouraged to work from home. ⅔ of Tier-1 staff currently work from home
List of staff required to operate the facility and external contractors required for maintenance (HPSS, generators, flywheels,...) submitted to lab management and approved for site access in case of lab closure.
####
The RAL Tier-1 ran a 2 day Business Continuity exercise (everyone
working from home) on the 4 - 5th March and is planning on being ready
for full home working by the 20th March. A write-up of the exercise is
attached as PDF and available online here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ktko6SQ9XqA_oxXEcLsiio8qHSjKhlEriqYw1kJgdco/edit?usp=sharing
Assuming a skeletal staff are allowed to continue to operate the data
centre no immediate problems are foreseen operating the current service.
- All this years procurements have been installed in the machine room so
all capacity should be available as planned for 1st April.
- However, major upgrades are likely to be delayed.
The major upgrades planned for the first half of 2020 are:
1) Deployment of a new Tape Robot. An extended period of
working-from-home (4+ months) could lead to a shortage of tape capacity.
2) Upgrading Ceph from Luminous to Nautilus.
3) Upgrading the LHCOPN link from 30Gb/s to 100Gb/s and joining the LHCONE.
####
TW-T1 center is stably operational as usual. The COVID-19 situation in Taiwan is contained for now. If the local situation becomes worse, a remote operation model will be implemented to ensure the Tier-1 center continuity.
####
KIT: most of the GridKa staff are working from remote and we don't expect any issues. For now, we are still allowed to enter the campus and we would also be able to fix hardware problems. Until when we are allowed to enter the campus, of course we don't know.
The additional resources for the increased pledges for 2020 is already in place and only the storage part still needs to be configured, which can be done remotely.
####
CNAF: as most of you probably know, Italy is currently in quarantine because of Covid-19: as a result, almost all CNAF people work from home. This situation, in principle does not affect CNAF operations: we are authorized to go to CNAF in case of serious problems. On the other hand, we cannot guarantee, in the event of a maintenance intervention by an external company, that this will happen quickly. For the same reason, we also expect significant delays in the delivery and installation of the new CPU and storage resources.
###
The NL-T1 is well equipped to continue normal operations in the current
environment with coronavirus spread across Europe and the precautionary
measures currently implemented in our country.
All the necessary staff are able to connect remotely to all the necessary
systems thus Normal Operation and Support can continue in the normal
working hours.
###
No impact on RRC-KI Tier-1: we work and will continue to. One possible
neat is slightly longer hardware replacement process for non-trivial
parts (mostly -- tape library and central internal switching fabric),
though I don't expect (too) many of them, if at all (being slightly
optimistic).
###
For KISTI (a Tier-1 for ALICE in South Korea), no impact has been on operations so far. Remote work at home could be an option if things get worse but this will not affect the operations, neither.
###
For the Canadian Tier-1, we don't expect any impact for the time being.
Our region is not severely affected at the moment. We do have measures
in place regarding social distancing and working from home which I don't
expect to have any significant impact on the Tier-1 operations.
###
As of this moment (things may change soon), none of the ALICE T2 sites is instructed to shut down. They will keep the same operational principle as at CERN - essential intervention will be allowed.
###
NDGF-T1 regulations vary slightly from country to country, but overall there are no plans to stop any service. Personnel is working remotely but will have access to most facilities in case of emergency, albeit it will take longer than usual due to commute time. The pledged hardware is installed, and though some still need to be validated, it should be possible to do remotely.
###
For USCMS sites and the Fermilab facility in general, the expectation is to continue to meet all our WLCG commitments and maintain our services at their usual high level of reliablity.
###
From EGI Operations. Regarding the delivery of services within EGI to all communities, including WLCG, we are currently assessing the situation. In the majority of cases, services are continuing as normal, albeit with staff working remotely from their normal place of work.
A press release has just been made on the EGI website on this topic: https://www.egi.eu/news/egi-and-covid-19/
The inputs are needed to prepare the report for the next RRB meeting, on 28 April 2020