Road testing IPython in the cloud

By Damien Irving and Scott Ritchie.

For the past few months, Tim Dettrick, one of our lead developers, has been working on getting an IPython environment up and working in the NeCTAR Research Cloud. In the first instance, the aim has been to get the environment to a point where it could be used in our upcoming Software Carpentry bootcamp in September (head to the website for more details). This meant not only providing IPython, but also a command line environment and file system.

The IPython cloud environment will serve two purposes: it will provide a uniform learning experience for all who attend a bootcamp (allowing our Python teaching team to avoid software installation issues), and it will introduce researchers to the cloud, providing them with the necessary fundamentals for accessing and working in a cloud environment, whether that be the NeCTAR Research Cloud, or a high-performance cluster provided by their faculty or lab.

Last week, Tim Dettrick flew down from Brisbane (braving the cold windy Melbourne weather!) to road test his IPython cloud environment with a small group of computational researchers and developers. We met with Dr. Andrea Bedini and Tim Rice, computational mathematicians at the University of Melbourne, Dr. Julian Garcia, who uses computational theory to explore evolutionary biology at Monash University, Julian Giordani, one of the developers of Underworld: a geodynamics simulation platform, Scott Wales, who provides computational modelling support for the Earth Sciences department, and Grischa Meyer, who works on the scientific data collection platform MyTardis. Together, we put the IPython cloud environment through its paces by attempting to use it to solve some toy research problems: small scale versions of our everyday research.

Thanks to everyone who took time out of their afternoon (especially those who travelled from Monash!), we had a productive and successful road test, gaining valuable feedback and insight on the environment’s usability, and we are happy to announce that the IPython cloud environment will be making its debut in our upcoming September Bootcamp!  



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