Cloud-Native Computing For Research Users - Jamie Poole, G

Summary of a conference presentation on the goals and challenges of using Kubernetes in research and scientific workloads

• Kubernetes is gaining popularity in managing research and scientific workloads
• The group aims to increase visibility of research use cases and provide pre-packaged software and integration with other systems
• Maintaining a set of recipes and best practices for use cases is important
• Challenges include the steep learning curve and complexity of Kubernetes, as well as the need for reproducibility in research
• Offloading temporary storage from central services is being explored as a solution

One interesting point discussed was the different mental model and steep learning curve of Kubernetes, which can be a challenge for newcomers. However, once the initial learning curve is overcome, the benefits of Kubernetes can be maximized. The group is working on providing pre-packaged software and maintaining best practices to help researchers overcome these challenges and increase the reproducibility of their work.

The CNCF Research User Group’s purpose is to function as a focal point for the discussion and advancement of Research Computing using “Cloud Native” technologies. This includes enumerating current practices, identifying gaps, and directing effort to improve the Research Cloud Computing ecosystem. In this session we will introduce the user group, discuss our mission and the particular challenges that research institutions face that we aim to meet with cloud-native technology. We will hear from speakers from public and private research institutions such as CERN (physics) and G-Research (fintech) and discuss various relevant projects in flight.