The TclGlobus project is developing the tools to allow the Tcl/Tk scripting language to use the Globus Toolkit. This will enable Grid interfaces in Tcl software simply by including the TclGlobus package.

Tcl/Tk software will benefit from the ability to use Grid Security Infrastructure (GSI) for authentication, as well as play a part in data movement, data publications and computing resources of the Grid.

One of the first planned applications to use the TclGlobus package is the LIGO Data Analysis System (LDAS). LDAS uses the Tcl language to authenticate resource allocation requests and to control job flow. Adding the TclGlobus package to LDAS will allow greater integration onto the Grid and the ability to authenticate with GSI certificates.

Other software that will benefit from the TclGlobus package include the numerous client tools developed in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration for interacting with LDAS and carrying out data-mining.

TclGlobus is being developed under the umbrella project of SWIGlobus. The SWIGlobus project is providing a common framework for all scripting languages to interface with the Globus Toolkit functionality using the Simple Wrapper Interface Generator (SWIG). The Python language is also targeting development under the SWIGlobus umbrella. But the framework will support Perl, Ruby, and other scripting languages if the interest and manpower can be generated.

At present more than one thousand global constants and functions from the Globus Toolkit have been SWIG wrapped as part of the effort to deliver a TclGlobus package for use in with the Tcl/Tk scripting language. Plans call for the first distribution of TclGlobus in the summer of 2005 (see Presentations under Documents for more details).