Remote Data Collection

The software integration effort in BIOXHIT culminated in the creation of remote access facilities, which enable users to operate the HTP facilities from their home laboratories through Internet connections. Remote access to facilities means that researchers no longer need to be physically present at the synchrotron site in order to participate in an experiment. Remote access to compute power, software and databases will play even more important role in the future by enabling the efficient sharing of resources and data, as researchers will be able to make use of these resources regardless of their physical location. It will make it possible for different parts of a structure determination to be performed seamlessly at different physical locations whilst still preserving the integrity of the process and the results.

The remote access to the ESRF MX beamlines, meaning allowing users to collect data from their home institutes has been established during BIOXHIT Years 3 and 4 (this was following one of the urgent recommendations of the SAB and the reviewers of the project after year 2), Figure 3.7.a. The ESRF data collection applications (mxCuBE, a desktop/fat-client application) have been successfully adapted. The first decision was on the network access to the ESRF computing infrastructure from the outside, through the Internet. VNC and similar products were discarded due to their poor performance (namely the crystal camera video); instead the NoMachine/NX was selected, allowing a user to open an X-Windows KDE session running in the beamline computer, but being displayed in their local PC. While the server has to be bought by the ESRF, the client ran by the users is free of charge. The beamline scientist is responsible for the working status of the beamline, for loading the users' crystals inside the sample changer robot, and finally for allowing the remote users to remotely conduct their experiments. The users, Figure 3.7.b, really liked the remote data collection: "The connection speed is fine, there is little difference with being on the beamline. It was a very good day with amazing experience!".

Figure 3.7.a. The main components of the remote data collection setup at the Partner 2 (ESRF) beamlines

Figure 3.7.b. Happy users carrying out data collection at the ESRF while being at a workshop in Oulu (Finland).