Agenda for the ITC-Research Computing Management Meeting
February 2, 2006 at 8:30AM
in OIT/Cresap 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 managememt meeting on September 26, 2005? or to minutes of combined Standing Committee and Mangement meeting on December 16, 2005?

II. Old Business:

• Condo-Cluster 2 - kicking off next round of acquistion.
  • http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/itc-clusters/cluster-purchase.html
  • Agreed at December meeting on following timeline: Order in February 2006; have it set up and configured in June 2006. Therefore advertise it as “go live” in Summer 2006.
  • Have heard from two faculty - Gary Shiflett (?) and Ben Calhoun.
• Cedar Cluster:
  • At December meeting, Hamp said Steve would set up Grimshaw's AVAKI gateway when cluster was down on 12/20 for maintenance. Is it?
  Aspen & Birch Clusters: Any issues or concerns?
  • Has intermittant power failure Birch nodes been isolated/rectified?
• Alias/script for "passwd" command on all Linux clusters that gives message to users to change password on blue.unix has been done. Thanks!
• 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.
• New "disk wedge" leasing rates. Have new disk rates discussed in December meeting approved?
  $29 per GB for first 10 GB, additional $15/GB for the next 11-100 GB, and additional $13/GB for anything >100 GB.
• Updated Timeline and priority order of all other projects (blue.unix upgrade, others?).
• Acquiring monitoring tools, as discussed in March, especially, MPI Link Checker? (65 to 128 nodes is $4250 less 20% = $3400.
• Andrew Grimshaw's request for Linux front-end to campus grid project – December mtg: Hamp will follow-up on this.
• Update on CSS Research Computing support staff and services relocating to Brown Science Engineering Library and Alderman Library fourth floor in summer 2006.
• Any news on UVa's participation to NSF's Request for Proposals for next generation/iteration of
  Supercomputing Centers?

III. New Business:

• Andrew Grimshaw has mentioned to both Ed & Katherine that he's interested in having ITC take over Centurion 64-bit cluster. Ed suggested he email Jim/TimS. and TimT. with this request. Anyone heard from him?
• Mitch Rosen's IT - Infrastructure Supporting Research Task Force. (Maillist is itrtf@virginia.edu)
  • Andrew Grimshaw's concerns that it should address needs of top 2-5% power users/researchers
• UCIT sub-groups: RCS staff serving on each. Nancy K. on "Teaching and Student Experience", TimT. on "Social Science & Humanities" and Ed on "Science & Engineering".
• Katherine and Ed exploring way in PBS to have multiple queues and usage units (would need accounting turned on). Cluster purchasers would get X units based on number of nodes purchased. In general queue anyone can use it and doesn't use any "units". "Priority" queue requires 1 unit per cpu hour or node or whatever. In "Express" queue, uses 1.5 or 2 units per cpu hour or node or whatever. This system is similar to ones used by SuperComputing Centers. Dr. Reynolds asked about if we could implement this type system when he attended the CSS-RCS staff meeting in December.
• Should we undertake transistion from clear text passwords to Eservices for Windows connections to HSM & Longtmp? (Per emails from Steve L. / Mark S. in late December?)

IV. Adjourn by 10:00 AM and next meeting

• Next Scheduled Meeting of whole Standing Committee group: Monday, February 27th 10:30 AM in ITC-2015 Ivy Road, Room #102 I will NOT be here to chair this meeting!
• Next Scheduled Meeting of ITC ResComp Management team: Monday, March 28th, 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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