CIRC: ENS: Monitoring Infrastructure for Network and Computing Environment Research (MINCER)

The Monitoring Infrastructure for Network and Computing Environment Research (MINCER) project provides simple ways to monitor and collect data that helps scientists understand how computer and network systems work. This information allows them to see the important details about how well these systems perform, especially as technology becomes more advanced.

With this clear and precise information, researchers can make smart decisions to improve computer speed, data transfer, security, and energy use. This approach helps scientists to study new hardware designs and find ways to improve their functionality, leading to better research and education in computer and network systems.

MINCER aims to provide comprehensive insights into distributed heterogeneous computing environments, advancing research and education in platform reliability, efficiency, and security, through three main thrusts: (1) Enhanced performance and power monitoring capabilities for AI architectures to support research aimed at improving AI system performance and utilization, thus enabling informed decisions on optimization and system configurations. (2) Unique network-related measurements to support research in network anomaly detection, resilience, and energy efficiency. (3) Integration of the MINCER monitoring infrastructure with renowned research platforms like Chameleon and the Open Science Grid to enhance the understanding of cloud and edge computing dynamics, as well as the relationship between data transfer and computation in large-scale distributed computing.

The MINCER initiative offers open-source software to bolster the research community’s capabilities in computer and network systems, providing an opportunity for broader community engagement in nationally significant systems-related research. Integration of the MINCER monitoring infrastructure with research platforms like ACCESS, Chameleon and the Open Science Grid will significantly enhance the utility of these platforms for advancing systems research and associated educational programs for a growing community of users.

Through collaborations with minority-serving institutions and by offering mentoring and hands-on activities, the project will introduce researchers and their students to the capabilities of MINCER, thereby broadening participation and fostering a more inclusive research environment.

The MINCER project will be hosted on the following website: https://icl.utk.edu/research/mincer. Here, users will be able to download the MINCER monitoring infrastructure, as well as access documentation, code examples, and tutorial and workshop materials to help them understand and use MINCER. This website will be maintained and updated throughout the duration of the project and will remain available after the completion of this project.

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.