KnowARC:

  • Grid-enabled Know-how Sharing Technology
  • Based on ARC Services and Open Standards

The objectives of the KnowARC project are:

  • to create a novel, powerful Next Generation Grid middleware based on NorduGrid's ARC, widely respected for its simplicity, non-invasiveness and cost-efficiency;
  • to promote Grid standardization and interoperability;
  • to contribute to the take-up of Grid technologies, bridging the gap between business and academia in Grid development

"Grid-enabled Know-how Sharing Technology Based on ARC Services and Open Standards" (KnowARC) is a Sixth Framework Programme Specific Targeted Research Project, under Priority IST-2005-2.5.4 "Advanced Grid Technologies, Systems and Services". The project began in June 2006 and ends in November 2009.

Basic details

Title of Contract: Grid-enabled Know-how Sharing Technology Based on ARC Services and Open Standards
Acronym: KnowARC
Contract Number: 032691
Instrument: STP - Specific Targeted Research Projects (aka STREP)
Call: FP6-2005-IST-5
Activity: IST-2005-2.5.4 - Advanced Grid Technologies, Systems and Services
Program: FP6
Duration: 42 month
Start date: June 1, 2006
Coordinator : University of Oslo, Problemvejen 5-7, 0316 Oslo, NORWAY

Grid technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, going from an academic peculiarity to a practical solution to real-world problems. Grid-based solutions are fast becoming critical tools for enriching international collaborations, allowing their members to communicate and co-operate securely and reliably. While widely accepted technology standards are still being defined, several Grid solutions are already offering reliable services.

The KnowARC project is improving and extending the existing state-of-the-art technology found in the Advanced Resource Connector (ARC) middleware, which provides a set of reliable, robust, non-intrusive and well-tested core services. KnowARC aims to significantly increase awareness and usage of the next-generation ARC middleware. The resulting high-performance Grid solution will increase productivity in many areas by enabling distributed communities and increasing the usability of existing computing resources. ARC can support everything from simple collaboration to intensive computational, since it is powerful and efficient, yet simple to deploy, maintain and use.

The result of the project will be an improved set of ARC modules and fuctionalities to strengthen ARC's place as a practical, standards-compliant, interoperable Grid solution that offers know-how sharing services for business and society. KnowARC will transform ARC into coherent, functional next-generation Grid software of industrial quality, ready for deployment on a variety of computing platforms and included in various operating systems distributions.