Repository in a Box Toolkit for Software andResource Sharing
Shirley V. Browne, Paul M Wells · 1999
The Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) seeks to bring technology to the warfighter. High performance software is being developed by the Common Highperformance Software Support Initiative (CHSSI) component of the program. High-performance software and technology are being transferred to DoD users throughout the MSRC-supported Programming Environment and Training (PET) component. In any work environment, an individual’s ability to perform his or her job is strengthened proportionally by the availability of the resources necessary to perform that job. The Repository in a Box (RIB) toolkit, developed by the University of Tennessee as part of the federally funded National High-performance Software Exchange (NHSE) project , provides mechanisms for sharing software and other resources among and between DoD Computational Technology Areas (CTAs) and sites, thus helping to bring this technology to the warfighter. RIB has been used to set up a distributed collection of interoperable software repositories for the DoD Major Shared Resource Centers (MSRCs). This network of repositories allows software, algorithms, and experiences to be shared within and between CTAs and MSRCs as well as with the broader DoD user community. Use of RIB provides a uniform and consistent user interface to these repositories. Extensions to the basic RIB data model are allowing value-added information, such as software evaluations, performance studies, deployment information, and intellectual property rights, to be cataloged. Thus RIB allows all pertinent information about the software to be consistently maintained and accessed from the same interface. Moreover, RIB enables DoD users to leverage other HPC efforts, such as NASA HPCC and NSF PACI, that are also using RIB to make resources developed by their programs available to users. This report gives an overview of the functionality of RIB, describes current DoD RIB repositories, and concludes with future plans. + Computer Science Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville