Cloud computing Tianjin Development acceleration

New words of science and technology are always emerging. "Cloud computing" is hot.

What is cloud computing? What are the characteristics of cloud computing? What are the wonders? How do I get cloud computing services? On the issue of readers ' attention, the reporter came to Binhai new area "National supercomputing Tianjin Center", and saw the famous "Tianhe" Super Computer in the world.

It's called a shocking! 1300 square meters of super large engine room, neatly ranked 140 tall cabinets. There are computing area, communication area, mass storage area ... Constant temperature and humidity, super scale large fleet. Clearly is a large array of computers Ah!

November 2010, the world's super computer TOP500 rankings, "Tianhe No." won the world's first. After the United States, China became the second country to develop computing speed to petajoules supercomputers.

Rojun, the deputy director of the center, a gentle middle-aged scholar, laughing and speaking in simple language, answered the readers ' concerns with the popular wit.

What is cloud computing?

About cloud computing, online opinions. I asked the Rojun researcher to talk about cloud computing from a professional perspective.

' Let's talk about my personal understanding of the concept of cloud computing, ' he said. Some people feel that the concept of cloud computing is poorly understood. To tell you the truth, this concept is really strange. Why was it called cloud computing? Why do you have to call it a cloud?

The concept of cloud computing was first proposed by Amazon, an American company. They are engaged in Internet e-commerce, including online bookstores, Amazon is doing the best, very famous. Their machines are very, very large, but they are not much busy every year, but the system is very busy before and after Christmas. usually relatively free. They think of a way, how to make the usual free resources can be used to provide services outside? Based on this consideration, a computational model called "Elastic Computing Cloud" is designed. Because they were the first to put forward the concept of "cloud", so, later called "Cloud computing."

Why is it called "cloud computing"? First, its system is indeed very large, like the clouds in the sky, many many. Second, cloud computing is illusory and has no boundaries. If you use the cloud computing approach, users can not know where the machine is serving me. Like a cloud, floating, looks, a lot of big, can use, and see it.

Many people think cloud computing is a bit of a mystery, like a fog. In fact, cloud computing is just a noun. It is the most essential thing, or the most important function, is to use the Internet, a large number of computing resources, storage resources, network resources, such as the combination of external services can be provided.

Such a method of computing services, if it goes backwards in 10 and 20, is impossible. Because then our network has not yet spread to such a degree. Also, the technology base of cloud computing is virtualization, for example, I now have a lot of resources, various, various. I've made all these resources visible to you in the same type of resources through virtualization technology. As for this virtual resource finally by which machine to calculate, is generally not known by the service.

A network technology, a virtualization technology, these two technologies mature, before there will be cloud computing.

In order to get a better understanding of cloud computing, it is generally explained by the analogy of power grids. A unit to establish its own information system, the most traditional way is to buy their own servers and storage and network equipment, build a small data center. This is a common phenomenon. It's like years ago, some units bought diesel generators and used them to generate their own electricity. If you buy a generator, someone will manage it. Moreover, the electricity generation cannot be less than the electricity quantity. For example, the peak power consumption of units is 5000 watts, the purchase of generators can not be less than 5000 watts, or even to buy 6000 watts. In this way, there will be a lot of surplus. But the rest is not available to others. Also, the use of generators, management, maintenance, including depreciation after the update, these baggage, have to carry out their own units.

With cloud computing, it's equivalent to using a grid. The large-scale power plant replaces the fragmented small generator, forms the power grid scale, realizes the resource sharing. Power grids, the equivalent of the Internet. Power grids can be adjusted, today you use less, he used more, you can balance the needs of different, several large areas of the grid, forming a national grid, you can adjust the peak. Electricity emitted by the power grid is certainly more stable than that emitted by the diesel engine. Use electric meters to settle, how much electricity, how much to pay. The use of power grids, the units do not need to buy generators, and do not have to equip the operation, management, maintenance personnel, this series of costs, can be saved.

Cloud computing, in fact, to achieve is similar to the effect of the grid.

In the future, each unit does not have to build a small data center, they do not have to buy servers and other equipment. You put all this work into the cloud computing center, managed by professionals, and do your professional service. They will give you the calculation, for your storage to do backup Yes, domain name management, including machine management, maintenance, replacement, etc., you do not have to control. You just have to pay the price.

The main features of cloud computing

On the characteristics of cloud computing, Luo researcher said, in fact, in introducing the concept of cloud computing, has included some, in general, mainly the following points:

One is the high utilization of resources. How many servers, storage and network devices do you want to buy? According to the peak value matching, many times not so much, equipment, manpower and other resources waste a lot. Cloud computing can maximize the utilization of resources, energy saving and emission reduction, with more effort.

The second is the ability to expand. If a unit to build a system, the future is not enough, and then expand, it is very difficult, often to get a new set, the original all waste. Cloud computing can easily expand the underlying capacity. It has the virtualization layer, how to expand, users will not be aware of, will not be affected.

The third is high reliability and safety. Because we are a professional cloud center, there are first-class management personnel, data backup, server protection, etc., have first-class security facilities. Reliability, security, no need to worry.

Four is to save resources to save money. Now, many units, large or small, have to build a digital center. At least three or four people, right? The cost of human costs increased, the building of computer rooms, decoration, buy machines, air-conditioning, but also constantly updated. Server generally eliminated in 35 years, for small and medium-sized enterprises, the burden is too heavy. With the cloud computing, we are specialized operation, do not have your own, worry, effort, save money.

Five is the advantage of resource sharing. There are many enterprises engaged in industrial design, to use some industry software. This kind of software is very expensive. Move then hundreds of thousands of, millions, the general small and medium-sized enterprises, certainly cannot afford. Even if the big enterprise can afford it, spend millions of to buy, own use is not much, this is very uneconomical. Now that we have the cloud computing center, we buy the software. After the purchase, many to use, we share this cost, the burden of a sudden down. Some design institutes, want to update the software, and powerless to afford it. I bought, you come to use is, for everyone service, resource sharing. how nice!

Six is the advantage of convenient service. We do the animation rendering, cartoon pictures come out, how to color, with light, so that the picture more vivid, better look, this is entirely by computer to calculate. For example, Architectural Design Institute, home Improvement Company, advertising company, the owner proposed to see the design or decoration effect map, also want to do animation rendering. If every company buys a set of such software, he has no strength and no need. A designer, sitting at home to do the design, as long as you surf the internet, hope to get cloud computing services, run the registration procedures, calculate the return to you, you pay at the price on the line, very convenient.

Seven is to promote small and medium-sized enterprises scientific and technological ability. The government has been nurturing the technological development of small and medium-sized enterprises, cloud computing is an effective platform to promote the technological content of products. Large enterprises deep pockets, can build their own data centers, can buy equipment, buy software, waste a little does not matter, anyway, rich. For small and medium-sized enterprises, it does not have this set of equipment and software, some design can not do, products can not be upgraded, can only produce low-level, low profit, uncompetitive goods, at any time there is the risk of being eliminated by the market. Rely on cloud computing services, these problems will be solved, the small and medium-sized enterprises of science and technology development has a great role in promoting.

Supercomputing and cloud Computing

Reporter in the television documentary "Guo Da" see, the last century 670 's, we engage in "bombs", the scientific and technical personnel use the hand computer, very hard, a count is a few months, or even a few years time ...

Rojun smiled and said that the calculation of the problem, now in the "Tianhe number", a few minutes or hours to solve.

Research institutes, colleges and universities, large enterprises, research and development centers, and often have the unit force can not be the task of the extra heavy calculation. The services provided by the National Center for Supercomputing in Tianjin are capable of completing such computing tasks in a short period of time for units requiring service, which we call high-performance computing.

The Super Center does this service mainly in two aspects: one is based on "Tianhe" High efficiency computer cloud computing. Another is that we have a lot of "cluster systems" besides "Tianhe". A cluster is a way for multiple servers to connect the network to the service.

What is the meaning of supercomputers for countries?

Rojun says supercomputers represent a country's technological level. November 2010, the world's super computer TOP500 rankings, "Tianhe No." won the world's first. China became the second country to develop computing speed to petajoules supercomputers after the United States. In the top 500 of the supercomputer world, the first was held by the American people for a long time. In the 2002, the Japanese took one first, and later they were overtaken by Americans. This time, the Japanese have overtaken us for a while. Basically the Americans take the first most, the Japanese second, the Chinese are rising and catching up. Up to now, the world can develop computing speed to reach the petajoules computer, the United States, China, Japan, three.

The major function of the super computer of "Tianhe No." is mainly embodied in two aspects: first, it solves the problem of high performance computing ability of our country; Secondly, through the High Performance Computing service, the scientific and technological innovation ability of research institutes is improved, and the core competitiveness of enterprises is enhanced.

Supercomputers operate very quickly, which is a way of "tight coupling." It is different from the cluster system: The cluster system can connect multiple servers, but many of your machines are not necessarily faster than mine. Although you are much bigger than me, you can't be faster than me. Because, the speed of the computer is a comprehensive ability embodiment, one is the speed of calculation, one is the speed of communication, there is a speed of input and output.

Cluster system and the relationship between the supercomputer, for example, clustering, like a team, each vehicle 10 tons, you have 10 cars, can pull 100 tons, but a single piece of heavy 100 tons of goods, you can do nothing. I have a super car with a load of 100 tons, and the problem is solved.

One is capacity, one is ability, and the individual ability of supercomputers is very strong. One thing, not necessarily many people to do, if the individual ability is strong, ten, to a when hundred, why so many people? The country "Eleven-Five" period, built the national supercomputing Tianjin Center, Jinan Center, Changsha Center, Shenzhen Center, these major centers, Tianjin Center, the largest scale, completed the earliest, is also the best application services.

For example, because there was no such a super computer like "Tianhe", our oil data processing technology has been on the two-dimensional level, reducing our ability to analyze and understand the storage of underground geological resources, and reduce the exploration capability of our petroleum resources. January 2011, PetroChina in the "Tianhe number" on only one day, the completion of China's largest area of 1060 square kilometers of oil seismic exploration data complex three-dimensional processing, and achieved unprecedented results. Now, the Chinese petroleum Company has the three-dimensional processing method routine, causes our country petroleum seismic exploration data processing level to jump into the world advanced ranks.

Serve the national service in Tianjin

"National supercomputing Tianjin Center" relies on "Tianhe" supercomputer and its cluster to provide high-performance computing services externally. In the service of the country, the service Tianjin, the service Binhai New area has the outstanding effect. Many important scientific research institutions in China are making full use of the "Tianhe" supercomputer, carrying out large-scale research on global climate research, China's Marine ecological environment Research, gene research related to human health, and controllable nuclear fusion research on human survival and development.

Since January 2010, Tianjin Super Center has provided high quality and high performance computing service for more than 300 Tianjin and key users nationwide, and has obtained a batch of international advanced level application results.

Medium and long term weather forecast

CCTV "news broadcast" after the "weather forecast" is the highest-rated program. Why? Because it is related to people's livelihood, but also the basic necessities of the population, tomorrow cooling, you want to add clothes; tomorrow it rains, you have to prepare rain gear, and vegetable prices will rise ... So everybody cares.

The original weather forecast, in the absence of a super or cluster ability, can only do two or three days, four or five days. You want the medium and long term weather forecast in half a month or one months. In fact, the medium and long term weather forecast is very important to the country. For example, I now know that half a month or one months later, there is a continuous rainstorm in the South, I can have a leisurely response time, take the necessary emergency measures. Water can be given to the reservoir in advance to cope with floods. If it's only two or three days, it's too late. Large reservoir, the water must have a process. Disaster prevention and mitigation, including debris flow disasters, you can advance disaster early warning and personnel evacuation, the government's ability to emergency response increased.

Petroleum Exploration and tender

China is the world's second largest oil consumer. Our oil, CNOOC, both in China and abroad to engage in oil. Oil exploration, to rely on computer calculation, the formation of oil? For example, I have a large area, do a lot of gun points, in the underground shooting, to measure seismic waves, look at its waveform, oil and oil, seismic waves are different. depend on this to determine whether there is oil underground. In particular, to foreign tenders, such as a country or region in the Middle East, to draw a piece of the region to tender. He will give you some digital information about the preliminary exploration, and then you decide to vote not to bid.

Do you have any idea how much oil is in the ground? If you spend billions of, fight down, no oil, this risk, you can only bear. It depends on your computer to deal with the oil seismic exploration data ability, is two-dimensional, or three-dimensional? Moreover, the operation speed must be fast! Bids are limited in time. If not, your bid is to shoot the head. Oh, this place may have oil, just like betting on stone, that how to do? With Supercomputing, there's a few in mind. Such a calculation, probably how thick the reservoir, reserves have how much, if the oil is many, I put the price raise a bit does not matter, improve the competitive bidding ability, the final profit is us. There are many examples of this. At present, PetroChina is in the "Tianhe number" on the third batch of super large-scale, 2000 square kilometers of oil data processing work.

Cartoon Gala

This year's Spring Festival gala two song and Dance program, "Dragon" and "Swan Lake" stage background anime super rendering, is in the Super Tianjin Center do.

Rojun said, we work with the National Animation Park and the Tianhe Cool card, the construction of the largest and most capable of rendering animation and film Super cloud computing platform for Tianjin, Beijing, animation and film production enterprises to provide high-quality services, so that Binhai New area in the animation and film super rendering field to become the leader of the country and benchmarking.

and the movie special effects, the recent 3D film "Titanic" in China one weeks, the box office is over 400 million. These films, are calculated by computer, do stunts, special effects. "Avatar" is also in the United States to complete the super computer rendering, forget the big six months. We can't do this kind of film before. We don't have this computational power. Now, you can do "Avatar", "Titanic", "Kung Fu Panda", we already have this ability. Of course, creativity, choreographer and so on have no this ability, that is another thing. At the very least, as long as there is a good script, there is no big problem with making technology. Now, we are already doing some 3D movie stunt service. Cultural development should be supported by science and technology. In animation and film super rendering computing capacity, we have the ability to support science and technology, which is an important foundation.

Industrial Design Simulation

Rojun said that we invested nearly 10 million yuan, bought some industrial design software, in the way of cloud computing services externally, very popular with customers. Previously, the design of a product, need to do a model, time-consuming and laborious waste of resources. Now rely on computer simulation on the line. Computer-aided design, through simulation, all kinds of parameters are lost, fast and good. For example, Tianjin's car design, including crash tests, used to take a lot of cars to do destructive testing. Later, you can also do simulation collisions on small machines. However, the accuracy of the simulation will be reduced, can only do 500,000 units, to our Super center, you can do 5 million units. The precision is greatly improved. For example, the design unit in our Gaotiai car air airflow simulation solves many design problems. The speed of high-speed rail, traffic flow is very large ah, passing when the air flow? What about the track design? What about the compartment design? Directly related to the operation of high-speed rail safety. Design Unit commissioned services, we provide such computational power. and Tianjin University to do hydroelectric dam simulation design, these are very good projects.

Digital processing of satellite remote sensing

China is constructing and perfecting "Beidou system", which has great strategic significance. Remote sensing satellite or aerial aircraft, the digital collection back, through our calculation, we can achieve the stereo image. The spatial Geographic Information image is stereoscopic, can be more widely in agriculture, water Conservancy, geology, exploration, national defense, capital construction and so on plays the important role. This is the emerging spatial geographic information processing industry. Rojun said that we are working with the National Survey and Mapping Geographic Information Bureau under the comprehensive cooperation, "day map" in the national layout of three geographical information data centers, plans to be located in the North Center in Tianjin Binhai New area, relying on "Tianhe a" to build the Binhai New Area spatial information (GIS) processing industry.

The service scope of Tianjin Super Center also includes: Biomedicine, gene technology, new materials and energy, high-end equipment design and simulation, aeronautical remote sensing data processing, aerospace, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, marine environment simulation analysis. We have also established the Binhai New Area e-Government cloud Center, in the new district at all levels of government and people to build a platform for communication and communication.

How do I get cloud computing services?

Rojun and cloud computing are not, in fact, mysterious. We can provide services as long as you need it. The cloud is near you and can hold it at any time. We offer cloud computing services that are not more complicated than buying a train ticket online.

It's really easy to get a cloud service. For example, a company, a product design needs cloud computing services, you can first login to the National Supercomputing Tianjin Center website homepage, namely: WWW.nscc-tj.gov.cn, there is a "Tianhe industry cloud", click to enter, if you do not have an account, you can register first. Just like buying a train ticket online. When registering, need to fill in the unit or the personal information, explained you need what service, how many resources, needs to use how long, your contact method and so on, describes these clearly. Your registration information will be sent to the center, we have professionals to contact you and create an account for you. Of course the service is charged, you can pay for the bank card. Like online shopping, it is as easy as buying train tickets on the internet.

Cloud computing services, not only for enterprises, but also for individuals. If a certain type of software we do not have, and the use of the software a lot of users can be purchased by us, and then to provide users with services. In fact, there is a way, now the software is very expensive Ah, if a number of customers need such services, we can talk to the software company, first rented it over. Rent me the service charge, then with the software company divided, so that everyone can reduce costs, achieve mutual benefit and win. This approach is in vogue.

Some projects, we can also provide trial service. Give you some nodes, you try first. See if it suits you? If the trial effect is good, then sign formal use agreement.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)