SI2-SSE: Abaco - Flexible, Scalable, and Usable Functions-As-A-Service via the Actor Model

几乎每个科学领域的研究人员都严重依赖计算机来完成他们的研究。此外，数据可用性的增加使全新的分析成为可能，这些分析为许多重要问题提供了答案。然而，这些分析是复杂的，需要高级计算机科学专业知识。该项目旨在简化研究人员创建分析工具的方式，这些工具也可以更好、更可靠地扩展。这个项目Abaco采用并调整了“Actor”模型，这是一种将软件系统设计为简单功能集合的技术，然后可以在高性能计算环境中作为基于云的功能提供。这样做将大大简化科学软件的开发和使用方式。科学的软件开发人员会发现设计和实现一个系统要容易得多。此外，使用软件的科学家和研究人员将能够轻松地将具有预定功能的参与者集合在一起，以获得他们需要的计算和数据。该项目将结合来自云计算的技术和技巧，包括Linux容器和“功能即服务”范式，以及经过验证的Actor计算理论模型。每个Actor都是作为Linux容器实现的，并在云上提供单个功能。最终的系统允许小的、轻量级的程序在几乎任何系统上运行。该项目还将扩展Abaco实现数据功能的能力，如数据联合和可发现性。例如，Abaco程序可用于构建由来自整个互联网的独立数据集组成的联邦数据集。通过减少开发和使用这些服务的障碍，该项目将提高致力于解决当今问题的科学家和工程师的生产力，并为解决未来的新问题做好更好的准备。Abaco在科学领域具有广泛的适用性，从生物学到工程学再到环境研究。此外，Abaco小组将开展大量培训和支持活动，旨在使研究人员能够从这种方法中受益。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Researchers in virtually every field of science rely heavily on computing to perform their research. In addition, increased availability of data has enabled entirely new kinds of analyses which have yielded answers to many important questions. However, these analyses are complex, and require advanced computer science expertise. This project seeks to simplify the manner in which researchers can create analysis tools that also scale better and more reliable. This project, Abaco, adopts and adapts the "Actor" model, which is a technique for designing software systems as a collection of simple functions, which can then be provided as a cloud-based capability on high performance computing environments. Doing this will significantly simplify the way scientific software is developed and used. Scientific software developers will find it much easier to design and implement a system. Further, scientists and researchers that use software will be able to easily compose together collections of actors with pre-determined functionality in order to get the computation and data they need. The project will combine technologies and techniques from cloud computing, including Linux Containers and the "functions-as-a-service" paradigm with the proven Actor theoretical model for computing. Each Actor is implemented as a Linux container, and provides a single function on a cloud. The resulting system allows for small, lightweight programs to be run on virtually any system. This project will also extend Abaco's ability to implement data capabilities, such as data federation and discoverability. Abaco programs can be used to be used, for example, to build federated datasets consisting of separate datasets from all over the internet. By reducing the barriers to developing and using such services, this project will boost the productivity of scientists and engineers working on the problems of today, and better prepare them to tackle the new problems of tomorrow. Abaco has broad applicability across science domains, from biology to engineering to environmental studies. Further, the Abaco team will conduct substantial training and support activities aimed at empowering researchers to benefit from this approach.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.