Notes for Hoffmann cluster researchers

Recap:

During this our recent test period in November, researchers confirmed that the new system's hardware and base configuration fully enables the proper functioning of all the software they currently depend on within Helios. We discovered important things

However, the testing also uncovered important information that we could not have learned without this testing investment, which in turn will contribute to a more robust setup for your researchers.

Upcoming to do's for Hoffmann researchers, as of

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12/

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9/13:

Install required software in the correct dirctories

(1) As soon as possible, ensure researchers' user data on Sol can be completely deleted.

• We will be deleting all the content within everyone's home directories. (They were originally copied there as a testing convenience during our test phase.)
• We do this to enable a clean import of researchers' current production home directories from Helios.
• Lulu has advised researchers of this from before the Thanksgiving break, so hopefully no surprises.

Bottom line: If there are any files on Sol which researchers cannot afford to lose (hopefully not- it was in test mode, and it 's is not being backed up!), researchers must move that data to Helios right away (deadline?).

2) On a predetermined date, researchers will stop having access to Sol until it

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goes into production, replacing Helios.

• Sol will need to be turned off and worked on by us. (Approximate duration?) Therefore, it will be off-line to researcher.
• Ad hoc permission to select researches (Prasad?) will be granted so they may install in the correct location and test their software.
• Tasks for us ChemIT to do:
  • Get the server's versioning hard disk recognized within the new head node.
  • Lulu to install the Intel compiler in the /software/ directory, with the proper licensing.
  • Your The Hoffmann group (Prasad?) to install the Materials Studio software in the /data/ Hoffmann/bin/ directory. If Prasad is not available to do this, let's discuss our options- thank you.
    

3) On a predetermined date, researchers

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must

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REMINDER: Researchers must again ensure their user data on Sol can be completely deleted.

4) On a predetermined date, researchers will again stop having access to Sol until it is ready for production.

•  During this time we will sync researchers' home directories from Helios
  QUESTION for Lulu and Michael: Is this really better than giving each researcher a bare home directory and asking them to move only the data from Helios which they need?

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plan for 1-2 days of downtime for Helios

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(while Sol is also unavailable).

• We obviously must coordinate this cut-over to ensure no loss of researcher's production data and to minimize the inconvenience of the downtime.
• During this time we will copy researchers' home directory data from Helios to Sol.

4) On a predetermined date, Sol will be available and in full production to researchers.

With Sol in production,

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ChemIT will:

• add Add the older compute nodes from Helios, making Sol more and more powerful.
• once Once Sol is confirmed "good" , Helios(no need to "roll back" to using Helios due to some failure), Helio's head node can be added as a compute node to Sol.

Thank you!  -ChemIT

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Older notes:

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