HUBzero

HUBzero is an open source software platform for building websites that support scientific activities. HUBzero is an open source software platform for building websites that support scientific activities. HUBzero was created by researchers at Purdue University in conjunction with the NSF-sponsored Network for Computational Nanotechnology. It was based on the Purdue University Network Computing Hubs (PUNCH) project that had begun in the 1990s under Mark Lundstrom, Josef Fortes, and Nirav Kapadia. HUBzero allows individuals to create web sites that connect a community in scientific research and educational activities. HUBzero sites combine Web 2.0 concepts with middleware that provides access to interactive simulation tools including access to TeraGrid, the Open Science Grid, and other national grid computing resources. The software later became supported by a consortium and used for some other projects. HUBzero is released under the LGPL-3.0 license. HUBzero provides free preconfigured virtual machines images that contain the full version of the HUBzero platform. The HUBzero Essential instance is also available through Amazon Web Services. HUBzero also offers two paid services, the HUBzero Foundation and a No Hassle Hosting service. The HUBzero Foundation is a community-based, non-profit organization that promotes the use of HUBzero and ensures ongoing sustainability of the core software. The HUBzero No Hassle Hosting service offers hosting solutions for other non-profit institutions. Through No Hassle Hosting, sites based on the HUBzero platform are maintained and supported by the HUBzero Development Team at Purdue University with better than 99% uptime. The website is built from open-source software: the Linux operating system, the Apache web server, the MySQL database, the Joomla content management system, and the PHP web scripting language. The HUBzero software allows individuals to access simulation tools and share information. Sites using the hub infrastructure are standardized with the following modules: