70,295 research outputs found
Exploring Scientific Application Performance Using Large Scale Object Storage
One of the major performance and scalability bottlenecks in large scientific
applications is parallel reading and writing to supercomputer I/O systems. The
usage of parallel file systems and consistency requirements of POSIX, that all
the traditional HPC parallel I/O interfaces adhere to, pose limitations to the
scalability of scientific applications. Object storage is a widely used storage
technology in cloud computing and is more frequently proposed for HPC workload
to address and improve the current scalability and performance of I/O in
scientific applications. While object storage is a promising technology, it is
still unclear how scientific applications will use object storage and what the
main performance benefits will be. This work addresses these questions, by
emulating an object storage used by a traditional scientific application and
evaluating potential performance benefits. We show that scientific applications
can benefit from the usage of object storage on large scales.Comment: Preprint submitted to WOPSSS workshop at ISC 201
The Role of Inter-Controller Traffic for Placement of Distributed SDN Controllers
We consider a distributed Software Defined Networking (SDN) architecture
adopting a cluster of multiple controllers to improve network performance and
reliability. Besides the Openflow control traffic exchanged between controllers
and switches, we focus on the control traffic exchanged among the controllers
in the cluster, needed to run coordination and consensus algorithms to keep the
controllers synchronized. We estimate the effect of the inter-controller
communications on the reaction time perceived by the switches depending on the
data-ownership model adopted in the cluster. The model is accurately validated
in an operational Software Defined WAN (SDWAN). We advocate a careful placement
of the controllers, that should take into account both the above kinds of
control traffic. We evaluate, for some real ISP network topologies, the delay
tradeoffs for the controllers placement problem and we propose a novel
evolutionary algorithm to find the corresponding Pareto frontier. Our work
provides novel quantitative tools to optimize the planning and the design of
the network supporting the control plane of SDN networks, especially when the
network is very large and in-band control plane is adopted. We also show that
for operational distributed controllers (e.g. OpenDaylight and ONOS), the
location of the controller which acts as a leader in the consensus algorithm
has a strong impact on the reactivity perceived by switches.Comment: 14 page
Should non-euro area countries join the single supervisory mechanism?
Irrespective of the euro crisis, a European banking union makes sense, including for
non-euro area countries, because of the extent of European Union financial integration.
The Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) is the first element of the banking union.
From the point of view of non-euro countries, the draft SSM regulation as amended by
the EU Council includes strong safeguards relating to decision-making, accountability,
attention to financial stability in small countries and the applicability of national macroprudential
measures. Non-euro countries will also have the right to leave the SSM and
thereby exempt themselves from a supervisory decision. The SSM by itself cannot bring
the full benefits of the banking union, but would foster financial integration, improve the
supervision of cross-border banks, ensure greater consistency of supervisory practices,
increase the quality of supervision, avoid competitive distortions and provide ample supervisory
information. While the decision to join the SSM is made difficult by uncertainty
surrounding other elements of the banking union, including possible burden sharing, we
conclude that non-euro EU members should stand ready to join the SSM and be prepared
for negotiations on the other elements of the banking union
Public debates driven by incomplete scientific data: the cases of evolution theory, global warming and H1N1 pandemic influenza
Public debates driven by incomplete scientific data where nobody can claim
absolute certainty, due to current state of scientific knowledge, are studied.
The cases of evolution theory, global warming and H1N1 pandemic influenza are
investigated. The first two are of controversial impact while the third is more
neutral and resolved. To adopt a cautious balanced attitude based on clear but
inconclusive data appears to be a lose-out strategy. In contrast overstating
arguments with wrong claims which cannot be scientifically refuted appear to be
necessary but not sufficient to eventually win a public debate. The underlying
key mechanism of these puzzling and unfortunate conclusions are identified
using the Galam sequential probabilistic model of opinion dynamics. It reveals
that the existence of inflexible agents and their respective proportions are
the instrumental parameters to determine the faith of incomplete scientific
data public debates. Acting on one's own inflexible proportion modifies the
topology of the flow diagram, which in turn can make irrelevant initial
supports. On the contrary focusing on open-minded agents may be useless given
some topologies. When the evidence is not as strong as claimed, the inflexibles
rather than the data are found to drive the opinion of the population. The
results shed a new but disturbing light on designing adequate strategies to win
a public debate.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figure
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