SUGI – AN E-LEARNING PORTAL AND TRAINING SYSTEMS FOR GRID AND CLOUD COMPUTING

Grid and Cloud computing are research and development topics, currently getting much attention. As a result, new ideas as well as research and project results are being produced at very high rate. Therefore, it is difficult for resource providers and researchers in these areas to keep track of the development. Resource providers and researchers, new to the topic of Grid and Cloud computing, have to overcome a huge inhibition threshold before work in these areas can be started. The SuGI project (Sustainable Grid Infrastructures) is aiming to support providers and researchers with two approaches. First, the SuGI portal presents videos, documents, and links regarding many topics in the area of Grid an Cloud computing for newcomers as well as for experts. Second, the training systems for Grid middleware created by the SuGI project can help beginners to do their first steps without a complex installation process, while experts can easily try out different configurations without interfering with their productive systems. Thus, Grid computing becomes as easy and powerful for e-science as Cloud computing is already for e-business.
Within the last years, several technologies have been developed to help building e-learning portals. Most of them follow approaches that deliver a vast amount of functionalities, suitable for class-like learning. The SuGI project, as part of the D-Grid (funded by the BMBF), targets on delivering a highly scalable and sustainable learning solution to provide materials (e.g. learning modules, training systems, webcasts, tutorials, etc.) containing knowledge about Grid and Cloud computing to the international Grid and Cloud communities. In a poster presentation combined with live demos, we will demonstrate, how well designed (by use of good quality enhancement of the software development process, Web templates for uploading new contents, and rich search and filter functionalities) learning content management solutions in co-operation with crucially developed learning contents may contribute for informal learning in e-science and e-business.