Effective use of a cluster for research is enhanced with clarity of roles and responsibilities, along with shared conventions and procedures.
Regardless of where you compute cluster resides (ChemIT, CAC, or elsewhere), partnering with your IT support staff enables you to:
- Invest your dollars meaningfully.
- Ensure the productivity of your cluster in light of staff changes to both your research group and your IT support group.
- Protect your unique research data from loss.
- Reduce unexpected downtime through scheduled maintenance investments.
Buying or adding to a cluster
Technical considerations when buying a new cluster, or adding to an existing cluster. Also applies to other high performance computing (HPC) systems.
Lancaster and Crane's cluster
Lancaster and Crane share a headnode, so social conventions are required to ensure researchers are not negatively surprised.
Roles and responsibilities for clusters managed by ChemIT
- Cluster application software specifics — Various scientific applications are used on CCB clusters. In general, Research Groups are responsible for knowing their software. In many cases, ChemIT staff can assist researchers, but cannot take responsibility or expend unlimited effort.