Nomenclature

This page defines the terms used by pScheduler.

Definitions

Test - A set of the parameters required to make an observation about some network characteristic and software for pScheduler to handle them. Tests are named in terms of what is being observed, not what does the observing, so measuring how much data can be transferred between two points is a throughput test, not an iperf test.

Participant - A perfSONAR node that runs pScheduler and handles some facet of conducting a test.

Tool - A program used to carry out a test and the supporting software that interfaces it to pScheduler. For example, the iperf3 tool conducts throughput tests and the traceroute and tracepath tools conduct trace tests.

Result - The observation produced by a tool conducting a test. For example, after conducting a throughput test, the iperf3 tool might generate a result that says "throughput from A to B was 3.4 Gb/s."

Task - A job for pScheduler to do, consisting of a test to be carried out, scheduling information and other options.

Run - The act of conducting a test one time and producing a result.

Archiver - Software that transfers results to long-term storage or elsewhere for further processing.

Workflow

1. User submits a task.
2. pScheduler schedules one or more runs of the task with one or more participants.
3. Each run is carried out by a tool on all of the participants
4. Each participant’s tool produces a partial result.
5. Partial results are merged into a full result.
6. The full result is handed to archiver(s) for transfer to long-term storage or other disposal.