FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karen Green, NCSA Public Information Officer, kareng@ncsa.uiuc.edu,
217-265-0748

***NLANR Solicits Input on Advanced Applications Database***

CHAMPAIGN, IL, October 17, 2000--Developers of the NLANR Advanced
Applications Database (AAD) are soliciting comments and suggestions about
the database from users. A Web-based survey was released today,  Oct. 17,
and will be available online until the end of the year at
http://dast.nlanr.net/Clearinghouse/websurvey.htm.

The Advanced Applications Database is an online resource offering
information about projects, applications, and resources related to the use
of high-performance networks. The only known repository of information
about high-performance network applications, the AAD is a significant
resource for researchers and faculty seeking to identify useful networking
technologies, administrators looking for information on disciplinary and/or
applications-based networking communities, and support personnel tasked
with assisting users of high-speed networks. Entries in the AAD include
initiatives such as Internet2, a university/government/industry consortium
developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies;
the Grid Forum, researchers and practitioners working together on
distributed computing technologies; Legion, an object-based metasystems
software project; and various collaborations enabled by the NSF-sponsored
Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program.

The survey was prepared by NLANR Senior Project Manager and Clearinghouse
Director George Brett and AAD Developer Ester Soriano. The pair
collaborated on AAD design and implementation and are seeking input to
increase the utility of the online resource. The survey asks about ways to
improve or enhance the data, the automated reports, and existing AAD features.

"It is important that we meet the needs of our clients and we solicit their
help in making that happen," said Brett. He added that maintaining the
existing records and adding to the collection are critical components of
making AAD a significant resource to researchers and administrators.

Brett has been working with other organizations that have data collections
to interest them in the AAD and to develop a standardized record structure.
Such standardization can assure that the AAD continues as a useful tool in
the future.

The National Laboratory for Applied Network Research is an NSF-supported
collaboration to provide technical, engineering and traffic analysis
support for NSF's High Performance Connections sites and the broad vBNS
user community. NLANR major activities are performed by three teams: a
distributed applications support team based at the University of Illinois'
National Center for Supercomputing Applications; a measurement and analysis
team based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center; and a networking
engineering support team based at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. For
more information, see http://www.nlanr.net.

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is the leading-edge
site for the National Computational Science Alliance. NCSA is a leader in
the development and deployment of cutting-edge high-performance computing,
networking, and information technologies. The National Science Foundation,
the state of Illinois, the University of Illinois, industrial partners, and
other federal agencies fund NCSA.

The Alliance is a partnership to prototype an advanced computational
infrastructure for the 21st century and includes more than 50 academic,
government and industry research partners from across the United States.
The Alliance is one of two partnerships funded by the National Science
Foundation's Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI)
program, and receives cost-sharing at partner institutions. NSF also
supports the National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure
(NPACI), led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

-end-


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Karen Green
Assistant Director for Communications
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
605 E. Springfield Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820
kareng@ncsa.uiuc.edu
ph: 217-265-0748, fax: 217-244-7396
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/
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