Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 17:05:02 +0000 (GMT) Sender: notices@hpcx.ac.uk To: users@hpcx.ac.uk Subject: HPCx: User Mailing 012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- H H PPP CCC UK NATIONAL HPC SERVICE H H P P C C -------------------------- HHHHH PPP C x x provided by H H P C C xx EPCC and H H P CCC x x CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HPCx User Mailing 012 28 March 2003 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents ** Course: Using the HPCx Service ** 1st HPCx User Group meeting ** Capability incentives: save AUs! ** Closure of early-use projects: advance warning ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings-- USING THE HPCx SERVICE The next run of this course will be on Thursday, April 24th. This course provides an overview of the HPCx service, and covers topics such as compilation, execution, batch job submission, tools and libraries. Those without an existing HPCx account will be given access to the system for the duration of course in order to do the practical exercises. There is also an opportunity for attendees to request consultancy on their own specific codes. To register for this course, go to: http://www.hpcx.ac.uk/support/training/ Please note that the timetable will be adjusted slightly to accommodate the HPCx User Group (see below). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HPCx USER GROUP The first meeting of the HPCx User Group will take place at 12:30 on Thursday, 24th April. Users will be able to take part using the Access Grid. All registered users of the HPCx Service are invited to participate. The User Group is a chance for users to voice their problems and concerns, and to make suggestions for the improvement of the service. The senior management of HPCx will be present, and if possible, decisions to act in response to users' concerns will be made on the spot. If you wish to attend, it would help if you could mail to support@hpcx.ac.uk. We will shortly be announcing on the HPCx website details of how to attend the meeting using an Access Grid node near you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPABILITY INCENTIVES: SAVE AUS! If your code can utilise a large number of processors efficiently, then you may be eligible to receive a reduction on the amount of AUs debited from your account. This is to act as an incentive to you to ensure that your codes scale well. In the first instance, your code has to be given a "Seal of Approval" by an HPCx staff member. To apply for this title, you submit a query to the HPCx query system: support@hpcx.ac.uk An HPCx staff member will then examine the code to determine how well it scales. Among other things, this will involve timing the code on both n and 2*n LPARs, say, and calculating the speed up. If this speed up is adequate, the code will be given the "Seal of Approval" for 2*n LPARs. Once the code has been approved, you will be able to submit your job in a special way to indicate that you are claiming a time discount. Fewer AUs than you actually use will be deducted from your budget. For a discussion of the capability incentives scheme, and details of the various discounts on offer, please go here: http://www.hpcx.ac.uk/services/policies/capability.html Discounts will not be back-dated. Several named codes, which are offered as part of the HPCx service, will be given Seals of Approval in the near future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EARLY-USE PROJECTS The early-use projects still exist, although they have no time and so cannot run any jobs. These are projects whose codes start with 'y'. If you were a member of an early-use project and still have any files in your early-use accounts, please note: all these projects and accounts, and all the files they contain, will be removed after 10:00 am, 4th April. Please copy your files away. If this will cause any problems for anyone, please mail now to support@hpcx.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Regards --John ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier mailings: http://www.hpcx.ac.uk/support/notices/index.html -- John Fisher j.fisher@epcc.ed.ac.uk HPCx User Administration and Helpdesk HPCx: http://www.hpcx.ac.uk Helpdesk: support@hpcx.ac.uk Phone: +44 131 650 5029 Fax: +44 131 650 6555