LEXIS Platform
The LEXIS Platform allows orchestration of complex scientific and industrial workflows which can be easily run on distributed HPC and Cloud resources. Thanks to its API and modern web based UI, powerful HPC resources and complex Cloud deployments can be easily accessed and challenging workflows can be executed. It uses YORC (Ystia Orchestrator) to handle the workflows, an iRODS-based data management solution with asynchronous staging APIs, and integration with EUDAT services to handle extensive datasets in a secure and convenient way.
Several stages of co-design process have been executed during the project. At the beginning, requirements on the platform have been collected from all the pilot use-cases. The platform architecture has been created based on the requirements. It consists of several modules covering all the necessary functionalities, communicating by REST APIs, and using zero-trust security policy based on modern OpenID-Connect/JWT technologies. The LEXIS Platform implements its own identities and remains compatible with local HPC centre identity and project management through the HEAppE middleware. Thanks to extensive use of modern automation tools and DevOps methods, the LEXIS Platform can be easily extended to other resource providers.
The individual LEXIS software modules have been implemented, deployed and integrated in the resulting LEXIS Platform, which has been successfully validated, tested and exposed on a public endpoint. The LEXIS Portal is the web based UI through which users can use all the features of the platform, including overview of consumed resources and its cost. The LEXIS Platform implements multi-tenancy by grouping users in different roles to organisations and projects through which the compute resources are consumed.
LEXIS Platform Benefits
Benefits coming out from the LEXIS Platform are numerous, some being very specific to sectors already involved in the LEXIS project and platform (Aerospace, Weather & Climate, Earthquakes & Tsunami).
The main benefits out of LEXIS Platform are:
- Fully operational at short term, based on existing top-level infrastructures, sound innovation, with the backup of world-class scientific teams, super-computing centres, industry leaders and specialists.
- Tangible performance and demonstrated value for users via the three pilots embedded in the LEXIS project (Aerospace, Weather & Climate, Earthquake & Tsunami).
- A one-stop shop where scientists and industries can find everything to cover their needs and developments:
- Computing and data management platform: High performance computing (HPC)/Big Data/HPDA/Cloud with an Orchestration set of tools and methods, including full accessibility via a Cloud solutions,
- Security and Compliance,
- Data Management,
- Scientific Assistance,
- Consulting,
- Training,
- IP assistance,
- Technical Support.
- LEXIS Platform is open: structure designed for welcoming scientific projects, industry projects, from giant organisations to very small ones i.e. SMEs and technical start-ups in Europe. LEXIS is also a naturally fertile ground for cross-sectors innovation, by design.
- Scalability & Flexibility: future proof, LEXIS Platform can adapt to new technological developments, allowing considerable extension in scope (existing and future fields, datasets – structured and not structured) and capabilities (Computing, Data Management, Orchestration, etc.).
LEXIS Platform is already designed to deliver beyond-state-of-the-art progress, and is structured to evolve keeping this forward-thinking and operational approach in its development, including beyond the end of the LEXIS project, for the benefit of the European ecosystem.
