[Chinook] Chinook v1.1 Released

[Stephen Montgomery]

Chinook Version 1.1 has been released

Chinook is a peer-to-peer platform for bioinformatics analysis being 
developed at the BCGSC.  It allows you to advertise ANY commandline 
application for execution by remote peers on a decentralized 
peer-to-peer network. 

The 1.1 release adds a graphical interface to configuring Chinook 
services (commandline applications).  Previously, service providers had 
to understand the XML that was used to enter new services.  This new 
functionality significantly reduces the complexity of this process and 
speeds to deployment any services that a user may want to provide.  
Hopefully, making it an easy task for anyone to become a service provider.

MAIN FEATURES;
- Over 20 services accessible at 4 dedicated locations
- Services are sorted by type ontology (ex. Alignment, Pattern 
discovery, Motif detection, etc.)
- Services can be filtered using a criterion like version, bandwidth, 
type, name, and Internet location.
- Jobs can be submitted using an intuitive user interface
- Static services can be configured for known server locations (no 
requirement to join P2P network to use Chinook)
- The client can be closed and jobs can be recovered at a later date.
- Integrated web browser takes you directly to more information 
regarding tools that you want to use (an attributes original authors)
- Feedback interface
- Ability to monitor STDERR and STDOUT streams on remote servers in 
real-time for error handling, and kill errant streams.
- Ability to use bioperl-based scripts to batch jobs programatically to 
servers.  With examples and a walkthrough.
- Filewire (BCGSC-developed) integrated upload and download service 
(lots of configuration options for how clients upload and download files 
to remote servers)
- Installers for Windows, Linux, Mac
- Java Web Start tested and deployed
- Extensive user and developer documentation (over 100 pages).
- Firewall-bound services (sharing services is restricted within a local 
network)

To get it, go to http://smweb.bcgsc.bc.ca/chinook and click on download.

Cheers,
Stephen