=====================
ARC MIDDLEWARE README
=====================


Purpose of this Document
========================
This document is intended to introduce the reader to the
software and point to existing documentation.


Table of contents
=================

  * What is the ARC Middleware
  * License
  * Getting the software
  * Installation and Configuration
  * Contributing
  * Support, Mailing lists
  * Documentation
  * Contact


What is the ARC Middleware
==========================
The Advanced Resource Connector (ARC) middleware, developed by the
NorduGrid Collaboration (<http://www.nordugrid.org>), is an open source software
solution enabling e-Science computing infrastructures with emphasis on
processing of large data volumes. 
ARC has been used to enable national and international e-infrastructures
since its first release in 2002.


License
=======
The software code is released under the Apache 2.0 License (see the
LICENSE file). 
The necessary 3rd party libraries are usually available in standard
Linux distributions; in rare cases NorduGrid repositories offer them.


Getting the software
====================
All the information about how to get the software is available at

  <http://www.nordugrid.org/arc/>


Installation and Configuration
==============================
If you are new to ARC and want to give it a quick try then please follow our 
quickstart guide that will give you an ARC Computing Element and introduce you 
to typical distributed computing workflows in just a few minutes!

QUICKSTART GUIDE:
  <http://www.nordugrid.org/arc/arc7/admins/quickstart_jwt.html>


For production Computing Element deployment follow the 
Installation and Configuration Guide, which contains pointers to precise 
configuration of every ARC subsystem.

INSTALLATION and CONFIG GUIDE:
  <http://www.nordugrid.org/arc/arc7/admins/arc_install_guide.html>


Contributing
============
The open source development of the ARC middleware is coordinated by
the NorduGrid Collaboration. The Technical Coordination Group (TCG) defines 
outstanding issues that have to be addressed in the framework of ARC development. 
Contributions from the community to the software and the documentation
are welcomed. Source code can be found in the Coderefinery gitlab repository.

ARC SOURCE:
  <https://source.coderefinery.org/nordugrid/arc>

Regular ARC developers should have an account on Coderefinery and use
the defined procedures for contributing. Those wishing to submit occasional
patches can do so by submitting pull requests on the GitHub mirror at
<https://github.com/nordugrid/arc>. Those pull requests will be merged
by the ARC release team into the Coderefinery repository.

Ongoing and completed e-Science research projects and student 
assignments related to the middleware are listed
on the NorduGrid web site: <http://www.nordugrid.org>


Support, Mailing lists
==============================================
User support and site installation assistance is provided via 
several mailing lists including the nordugrid-discuss mailing list which provides 
a general forum for all kind of issues related to the ARC middleware. 

MAILING LISTS:
  <Email: nordugrid-discuss@nordugrid.org or wlcg-arc-ce-discuss@cern.ch >

The Bugzilla problem tracking system accepts requests for features or 
enhancements, and it is also the main system for tracking and reporting problems.

BUGZILLA:
  <https://bugzilla.nordugrid.org> 


Documentation
=============
Research papers, overview talks, reference manuals, user guides,
installation instructions, conference presentations, FAQ and even
tutorial materials can be found in the documentation section of the website.
  
ARC7 specific documentation is at
  <http://www.nordugrid.org/arc/arc7/>


Contact
=======
Contact information is kept updated on the <http://www.nordugrid.org>
web site.
