8.5 Interactive Analysis Workbench (INK) User Guide

8.5.1 Introduction to Interactive Analysis Workbench

The Interactive Analysis Workbench (INK), developed by the Computing Center of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), provides users with secure and convenient interactive analysis tools. It encapsulates user interactions as specialized jobs and delivers web-based interactive operations. Current features include applications like vscode, jupyter, vnc, and services such as file operations, ENode, and Eshell.

8.5.2 Quick Start

8.5.2.1 Login

Users with a cluster account can directly access http://ink.ihep.ac.cn and log in via their IHEP SSO account. If you do not have a cluster account, please refer to 2.1 User Account Application.

8.5.2.2 Homepage

After successful login, you will enter the INK homepage, which includes five sections: Services, User Info, Application, Interactive Jobs, and Platform Overview, providing basic services, interactive applications, and system runtime information.

8.5.2.3 File Operations

Method 1: Click the Files icon in the top-right corner of the homepage.

• Path navigation via manual input or folder clicks
• Toggle hidden file visibility
• File upload/download/delete operations on the cluster
• Online preview for PNG and PDF files.
  
  

8.5.2.4 Interactive Applications

INK offers web-based interactive applications like vscode, jupyter, rootbrowse, and vnc.
Note: Users in the physics group may choose between CentOS7 or AlmaLinux 9 OS. Non-physics users use AlmaLinux 9 by default. CentOS7 has older software versions; use AlmaLinux 9 unless necessary.

Steps:

• Step 1
  Click the application icon under Application to submit a job. A job list will pop up.
  

  

• Step 2
  The Jobs page displays all your submitted interactive computing jobs. And a star (⭐) marks the job you recently selected on the homepage for quick identification. Click Connect when the job status becomes available. Also, you can check the job log by clicking the Detail button.

  

Note 1: The Connect button appears only when the application is ready. Use Refresh to update the status.
Note 2: For VNC, copy the auto-generated password from the job's Detail page.

8.5.2.5 User Dashboard

Displays cluster job status and storage usage. Access via the Dashboard icon in the top-right corner or the Services section.

8.5.2.6 EShell

A web-based terminal for accessing login nodes. Click the EShell icon in the top-right corner or the Services section.

8.5.2.7 Mattermost Channel

A communication platform for cluster users:
https://mattermost.ihep.ac.cn/signup_user_complete/?id=k3rkdozw43frxf4bgtgeho7wqw&md=link&sbr=su

8.5.3 Interactive Application Details

8.5.3.1 VSCode

A code editor supporting C/C++, Python, Java, JavaScript, etc. Users can edit files, submit jobs, and view results. INK runs VS Code on computing nodes using the code-server service. After clicking "Connect", the web-based VS Code interface will open. Some browser extensions may interfere with key inputs. It is recommended to disable such plugins on ink.ihep.ac.cn.

Plugins & Internet Access:
Compute nodes have internet access. Install plugins directly via the marketplace.
Limitations:
Since code-server is an SSH-based VS Code, some plugins (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Remote SSH, vscode-pdf) are unsupported. If you need unsupported features, consider using ENode instead.

AI Code Assistant:
INK supports AI-assisted coding to improve research efficiency. Many VS Code plugins provide this functionality (Example: Tencent Cloud AI Code Assistant):

• Step 1-3: Open the Extensions panel in VS Code. Install the plugin by searching Tencent Cloud AI Code Assistant or 腾讯云ai代码助手.
  
  
• Step 4: Click Login and complete registration on Tencent Cloud.
  
  
• Step 5: Register and log in to Tencent Cloud.
  
• Step 6: Return to the VS Code tab and Enable code completion and AI assistance in VSCode.
  
  
• Use AI suggestions during coding in VSCode. Suggestions include: Explaining functions, Providing suggestions, Auto-generating comments, Generating test cases, Code reviews and intelligent completion.
  
  
  For details and more features: https://open-vsx.org/extension/Tencent-Cloud/coding-copilot

8.5.3.2 Jupyter

A Python/Root interactive environment for code execution and file management.

Key Features:

• Left Panel: File browser, command palette, and runtime management.
• Workspace: Multi-tab support for notebooks, documents, and terminals.
• Top Menu: File operations, code execution, and export options (e.g., HTML/PDF).
• Terminal Access: Directly open a terminal from the + menu.
• Text Editor: Built-in editor for code/text files.

Environment Configuration:
By default, uses /cvmfs/slurm.ihep.ac.cn/centos7.9/anaconda3/bin/python. Add custom paths as needed:

import sys
sys.path.append('/home/cc/hanx/my_python_packages')

8.5.3.3 RootBrowse

RootBrowse is a ROOT file browser tool that supports web-based file viewing, upload, download, and deletion. It also allows code execution and result visualization directly on the web interface.

The application utilizes the built-in ROOT::RBrowser() method from the latest ROOT software to launch a web-based RootBrowse. Compared to the legacy TBrowse (implemented via X11 and C++ GUI libraries), it retains similar usage patterns while significantly improving responsiveness and adding new features.

Note:

• RootBrowse uses one-time links. Refreshing or reusing the link address will fail. Users must click Connect in the INK Jobs interface to generate a new link.
• Links expire after 1 minute; repeated clicks within this interval may also fail.
• This feature is available only in the new ROOT version and does not support CentOS7 systems.
  
  

The RootBrowse application provides a web interface for browsing file systems and ROOT files. Users can open ROOT files, explore directory structures, and inspect objects.

Interface Details

• Sidebar: Displays the directory tree of the file system or ROOT file contents, enabling navigation through data structures. Users can select directories, files, or objects for further operations.
• Toolbar: Contains shortcut buttons for common actions (e.g., open file, save, refresh view).
• Workspace: Displays selected data objects with multiple view modes, including numerical tables, histograms, graphs, and other visualizations.
• Properties Panel: Shows detailed metadata and properties of selected objects, allowing modifications and settings adjustments.

Features

• Multi-File Support: Open and browse multiple ROOT files simultaneously, with seamless switching and data comparison.
• Dynamic Visualization: Interactive charts and visualization tools for real-time data adjustments. Supports common types like histograms, scatter plots, and curve plots.
• Scripting & Analysis: Integrated ROOT scripting capabilities for direct code execution and data analysis. Compatible with modern interfaces like RDataFrame.
• Search & Filtering: Advanced search functionality to quickly locate specific objects or datasets. Filter by metadata or content.

8.5.3.4 VNC

Web VNC is a remote desktop protocol that allows viewing files on a web page. It enables running code and viewing results by GUI directly in the web interface.

This application is based on a VNC Server service running on compute nodes, with noVNC acting as the client to connect and forward the service via a web server. The architecture is shown below:

The connection password is an automatically generated random string. To view it, click the Detail button for the corresponding job in the Jobs interface after the job status becomes available.

Tips:

• The noVNC sidebar can be used to transfer clipboard content.
• Some browser extensions may intercept keystrokes. It is recommended to disable them on ink.ihep.ac.cn.
  
  

To install a desktop application, contact the administrator and provide details including the purpose, installation method, and other relevant information.

8.5.4 FAQ

• Kerberos error after initial login:

  

  Solution: Click the avatar at the top right corner to log out, close the browser and log in again.