The Materials Microcharacterization Collaboratory

Participants

Objective

Approach

Accomplishments

Plans

Tools Available

Publications

Demonstrations

Partners

Overall Approach

Before formation of the MMC, the project participants were independently pursuing remote collaboration via very different techniques.  Our approach in the MMC has been to refine and evaluate our separate systems while developing a uniform architecture model to standardize the user interface to a basic set of operations common to instruments in all the facilities.  These control tools will include platform independent operation, a uniform interface having the equivalent of plug-in modules for instrument specific customization, intelligent agents to perform specific local (routine) operations (e.g. automated adjustments and alignments), and compatibility with the high bandwidth transmission requirements of some instruments.

We envision a broad spectrum of remote users for the collaboratory’s instruments. One extreme is the high end user who is accustomed to traveling to gain access but would rather be able to sometimes access MMC instruments remotely. The other extreme is the casual or occasional user who is unlikely to be able to use the instrumentation unless access is relatively low cost and intuitive. For the latter, we are expanding our present Web-based interfaces that provide a basic subset of the instrument's functionality.  The principle driver for these interfaces is free or low-cost software requirements on the client end, running on the computer system already on the user's desktop. The more advanced user desires/needs full control of the instrument with an interface that’s “as good as being there”, and that presents a significant challenge.  Some users will require strong security and, of course, the instruments will need to be protected from attacks as well as accidental misuse by inexperience users.

Approach to Uniform Architecture

The trend in control, communication, and computation continues toward ever more intelligent man-machine interfaces achieved through either operating instruments remotely, eliminating tedious off-line analysis, or improving instrument operation within a framework of shared open systems. Our intent has been to develop a scalable platform for remote microscopy and microcharacterization, in which scalability spans across four dimensions:

1. Number and categories of microscopes and other microcharacterization instruments
2. Number of users that may simultaneously collaborate on a given instrument
3. Number and categories of desktop platforms that a particular user may be sitting on
4. Number of different types of application software may interact with the data.

Successful shared collaborative studies have to meet the interactivity constraint, thus requiring low latency network connection. Given the volume of the data and multi-dimensional control of a complex instrument, a high speed network and intelligent control of an instrument are part of the required infrastructure.

We have performed object-oriented analysis and designed a set of interfaces for instrument control, data transport, graphical user interfaces, object management, and computational components. The underlying architecture is a service-based system that uses a CORBA framework and its corresponding middleware. CORBA provides virtual containers for objects over a distributed environment. Implementation of these containers can be in any programming language. The intent is to

• Utilize legacy scientific software tools
• Utilize common off-the-shelf (COTS) components
• Leverage DOE2000 technology programs
• Exploit economies of scale.

The service-based architecture allows for the design and construction of a fully distributed system (as opposed to centralized systems such as Habanero).

Approach to Security

The MMC intends to use PKI certificates to identify its members and users, and furthermore to integrate this system into Akenti (LBNL) in order to obtain strong authorization.