ZIH-Info No. 184 November 2024

Table of contents

      1. New service: eduVPN
      2. Expansion of the self-service portal
      3. Digitalization – IT and digital services
      4. //DataSpaces - CIDS exhibition
      5. All-hands meeting of the AI community 2024
      6. Events (online)

Editor: Jacqueline Papperitz

New service: eduVPN

In November 2024, the ZIH will launch a new VPN service (virtual private network). Based on the open source solution eduVPN (https://www.eduvpn.org/), for the special use in academic institutions, this service is already being used at educational institutions across Europe. Client applications for all common end devices are provided for use. By logging in via Shibboleth-SSO using the ZIH login, access is secured by two-factor authentication. The actual connection is made via the OpenVPN protocol, but is independent of the ZIH's existing OpenVPN service. The new service will initially run in parallel with the existing AnyConnect and OpenVPN services and (like the OpenVPN service) provide access to the TUD's general VPN for all staff and students. The parallel operation is to be terminated in the course of the first quarter of 2025, i.e. the previous OpenVPN service will then be switched off so that the TUD's general VPN will only be available via the new VPN service. During the next year, all other VPNs will be gradually migrated to the new VPN service so that the AnyConnect service can also be switched off by the end of 2025. (Contact: ).

Expansion of the self-service portal

The range of functions of the self-service portal has been further expanded: Workplace management from the old portal's telephone data collection has been embedded as a separate module. Through integration with group management, it is also possible, for example, to automatically create building-related distribution groups for employees of a structural facility. The telephone data recording functionality itself will be migrated to the new portal in the coming weeks. The application for postal voting documents for the university elections in November has also been integrated. There have been major changes to the backend of group administration: this is now event-based, so that changes to groups are applied much more quickly. There have also been several detailed improvements: For example, SSH keys can now be specified for passwordless login when creating virtual machines in the Research Cloud and changes made to the application by approvers can be viewed during approval processes. (Contact: )

Digitalization – IT and digital services

The current project "Expansion of the office of the Digitalization Working Group (AKD) – IT and Digital Services" aims to create an analytical basis, design and gradually implement and realize a cooperative, collaborative and joint IT infrastructure as well as a joint digital services portfolio for Saxon universities. The evaluation and coordination of which services can and should be included in the digital services portfolio of Saxon universities, which requirements exist for these services and how projects for the development of these services should be set up, will be carried out in a working group established for this purpose. In addition, impulses for the further development of the portfolio of Saxon universities are to be developed in order to implement the strategy of digital transformation in the higher education sector in a forward-looking manner. The SMWK, which is funding the project, is involved in a steering committee that regularly reviews the progress of the project and decides on the prioritization for the development of specific digital services. In addition to TUD, TU Chemnitz, Leipzig University and the office of the Digitalization Working Group of the Saxony Rectors' Conference are also involved in this project. (Contact: Andreas Hauffe).

//DataSpaces - CIDS exhibition

With the pilot exhibition "//DataSpaces. Experience Science.", the CIDS – Center for Interdisciplinary Digital Sciences will provide insights into its research in the foyer of the APB from November 15 to the end of February. The exhibition focuses on data – as the foundation of the digital era and as a universal basis for progress and for shaping our community. For the topics of complexity, high-performance computing and displaying data as maps, //DataSpaces uses different approaches to explore aspects of the digital transformation. Exhibits and prototypes at interactive stations invite visitors to make discoveries. The exhibition shows that science can make important contributions to shaping a sustainable community worth living in. While “Complexity” provides an overview from the beginnings of computer science to artificial neural networks and complex systems, "High-performance computing" is about an in-depth introduction to data processing. Different projects with similar methodological approaches are presented for the map presentations. A central concern of the exhibition developed by the Interactive Science Lab of CIDS is the active transfer and acquisition of knowledge. The formats invite visitors to discuss and participate directly in the research. The exhibition will also be accompanied by an educational program of guided tours and workshops as well as an event program with lectures and discussion formats. Further information: https://tu-dresden.de/cids/interactive-science-lab (Contact: Monika Reich, )

All-hands meeting of the AI community 2024

On October 7 and 8, 2024, ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig invited members of the six BMBF-funded competence centers for AI development in Germany as well as selected members of other AI centers and partners to an all-hands meeting in Dresden. More than 220 participants met in the OSTRA Dome and the OSTRA studios in Dresden to present current projects, identify common research interests and create synergies. The event was opened by welcoming speeches from science and politics. The program included contributions from the German AI community, including the AI Competence Centers, AI Service Centers and DAAD KI-Zuse Schools. The keynotes from the Alan Turing Institute (United Kingdom), INRIA (France) and from industry provided insights into European AI research.. Numerous interactive program items such as the poster session for doctoral students and thematically diverse workshops promoted networking among the participants. Further information: https://scads.ai/german-ai-community-meets-for-the-all-hands-meeting-in-dresden/ (Contact: Gina Valentin)

Events (online)

  • 04.11.2024, 10:00-11:30 a.m.: FAIR publication of data from clinical, epidemiological and public health studies with the German Central Health Study Hub (English)

  • 04.11.2024, 10:00-15:00: OpenGPT-X Forum 2024

  • 07.11.2024, 10:00-15:00: ScaDS.AI Tutorial: Big Data Processing on HPC

  • 11.11.2024, 10:00-11:30 a.m.: FAIR Publication of Science, Engineering and Design Data with 4TU.ResearchData (English)

  • 14.11.2024, 9:20-10:50 am: Opal basic course

  • 15.11.2024, 9:20-10:50 am: Breaching the borders in the era of AI: Meet Japan as a scientific cooperation partner from a cultural perspective.

  • 18.11.2024, 9:20-10:50 a.m.: Breaching the borders in the era of AI - Meet Taiwan as a scientific cooperation partner from a cultural perspective.

  • 18.11.2024, 10:00-11:30 a.m.: FAIR publication of your research data with Zenodo.

  • 22.11.2024, 10:00-11:30 a.m.: FAIR publication of material science data with NOMAD (English)

  • Onyx basic course: 07.11. and 28.11.2024, 9:20-10:50 a.m. each day

  • 05.12.2024, 9:20-10:50 am: Opal advanced course

  • 05.12.2024, 13:00-15:00: Research data management in general and in HPC

  • Softphone consultation hour: 04.11., 11.11., 18.11. and 25.11.2024, 10:00-11:00 a.m. each time

  • Open Q&A session for users of the NHR@TUD computing clusters: 11.11., 25.11.2024, 13:30-14:30 each time

http://www.tu-dresden.de/zih/veranstaltungen

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