Agenda for the ITC-Research Computing Management Meeting
June 25, 2007 at 10:30 AM
2015 Ivy Road, 1st Floor Conference Room

 

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

I. Connection Question: What contribution to research computing have your made recently or are planning to make in the near future?

II. Corrections to minutes from last meeting (May) on June 7, 2007?

III. Old Business:

• Elder.itc Cluster rollout
  • Elder.itc cluster: 12 compute nodes and 1 head node: Xeon 5160 (80w) 3.0 GHz, 4MB cache, 32GB (8 x 4 DIMMS) 160 GB HD (mirrored) nodes for new cluster to replace Athena. Have operational by mid-summer.
  • Retire Athena early August?
• Genomics might want to buy in to cluster – but infiniband type cluster not appropriate for them. They need large memory computers. Did Tom & Hamp meet with them?
  
• Jim & Hamp will come up with rate for buying "priority" time on dogwood cluster.
• Tim's group working on testing applications and software on elder.itc and making a talble of what's 64-bit, what's 32-bit and any issues, concerns for each package. Will have testing done and report ready by end of June.
• Tim/RCS staff will do review of other institutions queuing and cluster purchase programs in preperation for public forum on queuing policies. (for August meeting)


• Linux Clusters: Birch, Cedar, Dogwood - any issues, concerns or upcoming updates/changes?
  • Cluster upgrades this summer, depending on when next version of ROCKS released (RHEL 5 out) otherwise fall break.
• Any update or news on VT-UVa IT Collaboration.
• HPC Bootcamp August 6 to 17th. Working with VT to finalize syllabus and marketing. Preliminary syllabus has been drafted.
• Proposal for Software Licensing for Computational Science and Engineering funded for three years, then will be re-evaluated.

IV. New Business:

• Notification of cluster shutdown for emergency power needs and subsequent Postnews announcement.
• Any news, information from E-School? SURA? Other organizations?
• Consider for next meeting: In light of our familiarity with collaborative model of communities, consider using some of these tools. We cannot be a "community" but many of the tools of community and powerful speaking could make the meetings more productive and enjoyable.
  • stating our possibility
  • establish operating principles
  • member roles (steward, knowledge manager, outreach manager) which rotate periodically?
• Any other Items?
• Completion: Review promises and requests from this meeting.
  Final or unsaid thoughts to share?

V. Adjourn by 12:00 and next meeting

• Next Scheduled Meeting of ITC ResComp Standing Committee: Monday, July 30th, 10:30 AM in ITC-2015 Ivy Road, Room #102 First Floor Conference Room)!
  
  Please send suggestions, additions, corrections to: Tim Tolson or Alice Howard
  

Go to: ITC Research Computing Committee Home Page