FULLY AUTOMATED GENOME ANALYSIS THAT REFLECTS USER NEEDS AND PREFERENCES - A DETAILED INTRODUCTION TO THE MAGPIE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

A system called MAGPIE (Multipurpose Automated Genome Project Investig ation Environment) has been designed and implemented to meet the chall enges of automated whole genome analysis. The system initiates large n umbers of remote and local transactions, each depending on evolving cr iteria and on changing remote and local conditions. Transactions are r equested from different types of remote and local resources. The remot e request load is fairly balanced with other community demands on serv er resources. Local decision modules monitor and obey user preferences and combine evidence from multiple sources to formulate credible hypo theses about sequence function. Consistency checks from multiple types of data are integrated into the ongoing local analysis. The system pe rforms reliably on local UNIX workstations and communicates with remot e resources through standard networking protocols.