HECToR Passes Acceptance Tests
We are delighted to advise that the HECToR Phase 2b (Cray XT6) system successfully completed its initial acceptance tests this afternoon. The next step is to enable user access and to commence the 10 day availability trial.
Note, for clarity, in any future documentation and emails, when we refer to the Phase 2a system, we mean the XT5h (XT4 and X2). Phase 2b is the XT6.
User Access to the Phase 2b System
Those projects which were engaged in early access testing of the Phase 2b system in the US will be granted access to the system as of tomorrow (Thursday 10th June). There are some tasks we need to complete prior to this, however we anticipate that the service will be available for your use as of 1300 Hrs.
All other user groups will be able to access the Phase 2b system as of Monday 14th June at 1200 Hrs.
The 10-day availability trial will also commence on Monday 14th June.
Charging is suspended on the Phase 2b system until such time that the availability trial has been successfully completed. We will confirm the charging rate nearer the end of the trial.
Getting Started on Phase 2b
A guide to getting started on the Phase 2b system is available at:
http://www.hector.ac.uk/support/documentation/guides/phase2b/
This includes details on how to login, compiling, the queue configuration and batch submission script examples. The user guide has also been updated.
HECToR Filesystems
Users should be aware of the new filesystem layout. The /home filesystem is shared between both the Phase 2a and Phase 2b systems, however the /work filesystems are separate. Both the Phase 2a and Phase 2b systems have their own directly attached lustre storage at present.
This is illustrated and explained in the user guide here:
http://www.hector.ac.uk/support/documentation/userguide/resource_management.php#filesystems
Strict disk quotas are in place on the Phase 2b /work filesystem as the resource available is limited.
Note - The archive is currently only available from the Phase 2a system. Example methods for transferring data to/from the Phase 2a and Phase 2b filesystems are included in the user guide above.
The two /work filesystems will be merged later in 2010 into a single external lustre filesystem, with a capacity of over 1PB. At this stage the archive will also become available on the Phase 2b service. Details on the timeline for this will be issued separately.
Helpdesk Queries
When raising any helpdesk queries, can we ask that you include details on which system it is that you are using please. This will help reduce any confusion and will enable us to escalate any issues appropriately. Users should be aware that the Phase 2a service continues to be the contractual service until such time as the Gemini interconnect is installed in the Phase 2b system in late 2010.
