Agenda for the ITC-Research Computing Management Meeting
August 28, 2006 at 10:30AM
2015 Ivy Road, 2nd Floor Conference Room

Members: Alice, Hamp, Jim, Joe S., Mark, Robin, Terry, Tim S., Tom S., Tim T.
Chair: Tim T.
Recorder: Alice Howard

I. Corrections to minutes from last meeting Management team meeting on July 24, 2006?

II. Old Business:

• Condo-Cluster 2, aka dogwood-
  • Update on configuration and rollout from Bill Pemberton.
  • Katherine & Ed working "configuration" list for dogwood and OS updates of other clusters
  • Any word from Mitch or SEAS faculty that wanted nodes or Infiniband cluster?
    • Jim gave Mitch & faculty member pricing, waiting on response.
• Cedar Cluster: (Schedule of OS update? (based on dogwood rollout) )
  • Avaki gateway setup-New software version released yet?
  • Can we set timeline for cedar becoming 64 bit cluster? Winter Break would be best opportunity, otherwise we're into summer and needing to setup next new cluster. Getting growing number of applications and users for it.
• Aspen & Birch Clusters: (schedule of OS update to Birch ONLY in August will be based on dogwood rollout)
  • Aspen retirement this fall, announced cutoff will be November 20 (Thanksgiving Break)
  • Other issues/concerns?
• Oak Cluster: Did "round-robin" logon get enabled on July 5? (TimT will check wtih Hamp)
• Teal Cluster: Any issues or concerns?
• Andrew Grimshaw's request for Linux front-end to campus grid project – still waiting on next version of Avaki.
  • However Marty Humphrey has almost finished a grid Windows client that does direct file transfers and Katherine is experimenting with it.
• Proposal for Linux cluster support as 'for-fee' service. At December meeting, Hamp said he'd translate current hourly Unix support rates into table/information showing cost for supporting cluster of X size for Y years.
• Update on transition from clear text passwords to Eservices for Unix logins/connections to blue.unix, HSM & Longtmp?
  • This transition will involve a major user education issue – especially for blue.unix users.
  • No timeline for this project yet – it has to wait until after the password synchronization web site is up.
• Mitch Rosen's IT - Infrastructure Supporting Research Task Force (https://www1.seas.virginia.edu/itrtf/). (Maillist is itrtf@virginia.edu) Final Draft is circulating for input. Katherine is doing the final editing. Ed did most of appendices that detail comparisons to other institutions.
  • CI-TEAM NSF proposal was funded! Not official yet, but Andrew emailed team that it will be funded.
  • Mitch sent an update about our participation in ORNL's response to NSF RFP for next generation/iteration of Supercomputing Centers: the Oak Ridge Associated Universities core universities: U Tennessee, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, U.Va., Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech; and others including U Oklahoma and Rice have agreed to team with Oak Ridge National Lab on a grant submission for NSF's Petascale supercomputer program. It is listed as one award of $200 million dollars over a four year period, beginning 2010. The preliminary proposal is due at NSF September 8th. We are in touch with the consortium schools, discussing potential roles and contributions from the participating universities. He will update us further as more details emerge.
• “Priority “ access for participants in condo clusters: Katherine's proposal for PBS "Service Units".
  • See document: Katherine's PBS Service Units Proposal
• Update on CSS Research Computing support staff and services relocating to Brown Science & Engineering Library and Alderman Library fourth floor in summer 2006.
  • Katherine and Ed moved to Brown on 7/17. Called the “Research Computing Lab” in Brown Library Fully functional by start of classes, 8/23. Phone number (243-8799)
  • Nancy and rest of RCSC moved to Alderman 8/7-8/9; Space in Alderman called the “Scholars’ Lab.” Phone number (243-8800); staff phone numbers stay the same.
  • Kathy remaining in Wilson until office space in Alderman ready, hopefully mid-October. It's adjacent to Scholars' Lab in former ILL offices.
  • Details about the move and space available at: http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/rcsc-moves.html
  • Tim’s office remains in Wilson.

III. New Business:

• Mitch Rosen & John Hawley's concerns about ITC Research Computing support degradation vis-a-vis move to Brown Library. Martha Sites met with Mitch & John on Friday, when/where they voiced their grave concerns.
• Provost's "10 Year Plan for BOV" - Specific items and general topics that need to be included and emphasized related to research computing support, particular for science and engineering. Pull recommendations from ITRTF report?

IV. Adjourn by Noon and next meeting

• Next Scheduled Meeting of ITC ResComp Management team: Monday, September 25th, 10:30 AM in ITC-2015 Ivy Road, Room #220
  
  Please send suggestions, additions, corrections to: Tim Tolson or Alice Howard
  

Go to: ITC Research Computing Committee Home Page