Agenda for the ITC-Research Computing Management Meeting
July 24, 2006 at 10:00AM
2015 Ivy Road, 2nd Floor Conference Room

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

I. Corrections to minutes from last meeting Management team meeting on May 22, 2006?
For consideration and information - minutes from last standing committee meeting on June 26, 2006

II. Old Business:

• Condo-Cluster 2, aka dogwood-
  • Update on configuration and rollout: (network switch came two weeks ago?)
    ( “go live” by early August 2006. At June 26 meeting, still waiting on network switch, so that's obvious delay...)
  • Katherine & Ed working on "configuration" list for dogwood, which I'll email to itc-rescomp maillist this week as a way to make sure we all know what's going on dogwood and reduce omissions and surprises.
  • Any update on SEAS faculty that wanted nodes or Infiniband cluster?
    • At June 26 meeting-Jim will check with SEAS.
• Cedar Cluster: (Schedule of OS update in early August will be based on dogwood rollout)
  • Avaki gateway setup-New software version released yet?
  • Been a year since Cedar brought up. Said we'd try moving to 64 bit cluster after first year. 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)
  • Set a date for Aspen retirement.
  • Other issues/concerns?
• Oak Cluster: Did "round-robin" logon get enabled on July 5?
• 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.
• MPI Link Checker? Hamp sent costs, seems too expensive and not especially necessary unless we're getting Infiniband cluster.
• 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.
  • 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. RCSC secondary number (243-8799) moves to Research Computing Lab in Brown Library
  • Nancy and rest of RCSC will move to Alderman over 8/7-8/9; this will mark move of rest of the Research Computing Support Center out of Wilson.   Space in Alderman called the “Scholars’ Lab.” The main phone number (243-8800) is moving to Scholars' Lab; 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.
  • Tim’s office remains in Wilson.

III. New Business:

• Propose we continue these meetings bi-monthly or monthly and drop the "all staff" alternating monthly meetings; ask Robin, Mark, and Joe Simard to join this management meeting, ask staff to attend this meeting as topics warrant.

IV. Adjourn by 11:00 AM and next meeting

• Next Scheduled Meeting of whole Standing Committee group: Monday, August 28th 10:30 AM in ITC-2015 Ivy Road, Room #102
• 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
  

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