The IEEE International Conference on Cloud Engineering (IC2E) conference series provides a high-quality and comprehensive forum where researchers and practitioners can exchange information on engineering principles, enabling technologies, and practical experiences as related to Cloud Computing. By bringing together experts that work on different levels of the cloud stack – systems, storage, networking, platforms, databases, analytics, and applications, IC2E offers an end-to-end view on the challenges and technologies in Cloud Computing, fosters research that addresses the interaction between different layers of the stack, and ultimately drives cloud-based innovation in business and society.
This year the conference will place a special focus on cloud systems for sustainability and sustainability of cloud systems. Other paper topics remain most welcome, of course.
Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, USA
Title: "This is Not a Testbed": How to Build and Operate Experimental Infrastructure
Abstract: Technology is advancing at an ever accelerating pace creating new opportunities for science: improved sensor technologies now enable precise measurement of a growing range of physical phenomena; single-board computers (SBCs) allow computing to be deployed in hitherto unviable settings cost-effectively; and networking technologies, improving in both quality and coverage, allow us to connect them all into a powerful observatory instrument, adaptable to investigating a wide range of questions. Like a telescope array that uses computation to stitch together input from multiple single telescopes to obtain the desired picture of the sky, a generalized instrument of this kind can rely on a combination of sensing and computation deployed in the field, to "stitch together" a picture of qualities relating to fields ranging from hydrology to medicine. Powered by Al capabilities it can then allow us to investigate problems from floods and wildfires to social inequalities. However, building new experimental systems is both complex and risky: What problems should they solve? How do we put together new technologies to create scientific instruments? If we build them, will they come? At the same time, it is both rewarding and necessary to invest in experimental platforms as they are an essential catalyst for science. In this talk, I will present lessons learned from the development of two NSF-funded, influential, and very distinct experimental systems: the Chameleon project and the FLOTO instrument for distributed broadband research. Chameleon represents over 10 years of experience in constructing, operating, and evolving an instrument for computer science research and education that has to date been used by over 14,000 users, who collectively produced over 1,300 scholarly publications in computer science. It has supported innovative educational ventures, student competitions, and artifact evaluation initiatives, changing community practices on how to share research and education experiences in a digital form. FLOTO has built an edge-to-cloud instrument that deployed an unprecedented 600 SBCs nationwide in the United States to measure broadband, highlight areas of need, and help ensure equitable access to the Internet for all Americans. Both represent experimental systems with distinct objectives and challenges - and both provide lessons and illustrations on how to leverage the exponentially growing opportunities in experimental system design.
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