The Astrophysics Simulation Collaboratory Portal: a framework for effective distributed research

We describe the Astrophysics Simulation Collaboratory (ASC) portal, a collaborative environment in which distributed projects can perform research. The ASC project seeks to provide a web-based problem solving framework for the astrophysics community to harness computational Grids. To facilitate collaboration amongst distributed researchers within a virtual organization, the ASC Portal supplies specialized tools for the management of large-scale numerical simulations and the resources on which they are performed. The ASC Virtual Organization uses the Cactus framework for studying numerical relativity and astrophysics phenomena. We describe the architecture of the ASC Portal and present its components with emphasis on elements related to the Cactus framework.