I. Corrections to minutes from last meeting on December 20, 1999?

II. Old Business:

• Research Computing engines. (Ed & Hamp)
  • Update on PBS Portable Batch System (PBS) testing on orange (SUN) & teal (SGI) cluster. SGI o200-1.sp2 (gcg.sp2) is reserved for interactive use of gcg. How to allocate Suns and SGIs to PBS batch cluster. Should some current UnixLab workstations be rolled into the Orange cluster?
  • UnixLab workstation upgrades are now part of the regular CSS labs & classroom upgrade budget. Terry promised between $30K and $40K per year for upgrading. We have $20K to use to replace the old SGI Indys this year.
  • ToDo (12/99): Hamp/Ed> Report on console logins at the Unix Workstations in UnixLabs (Small Hall and E225)
  • ToDo(11/99): Ed> He'll look into what PBS can be configured for working with batch and interactive.
  • ToDo(11/99): Ed> Research if PBS make it possible to include all Unixlab machines in classes/queues and still allow interactive login?
  • ToDo(10/99): Hamp): See if can use load balancing piece of Sun load management software for O/T clusters.
  • How best the $100K allocated in this year's budget to research computing engine improvements. Usually this money has gone in the SUR grant to SP upgrades. SUR is no more.

  
  

• SP
  • Eight Parallel nodes: how is priority to parallel jobs going? Orphans?
    ToDo(11/99): Hamp> Re-run parallel job stats to see how turnaround times are.
  • Need to develop place for test/debugging parallel jobs; MPI on blue.unix? MPich on Orange/Teal cluster or separate small cluster of SUNs?
  • TODO (12/99): Hamp> Will install mpich on Sun/SGI in /common, already there for AIX, will have to use IBM's, MPI on SP, because it's switch-aware.
  • TODO: Hamp> Look at whether LoadLeveller allows interactive use of parallel nodes.

  
  

• HSM (Tim/Hamp)
  • Space allocations/policy.
    • ToDo(7/99|TimT.): Is draft space/quota policy ready for Tim S. to take to directors?
    • ToDo(10/99)|Tim): Check with Martha (MRS@) about what library does about disk space quotas. I corresponded with Martha. None of the Centers have any disk quota/space policies.
    • ToDo(10/99|Hamp): Talk to Martha (MRS@) about Alderman's disk space needs, possibly getting a HMS of their own.
  • Permit NFS access, FTP, and SAMBA access. No interactive logins.
    Machine name is hsm.itc.virginia.edu
  • Generic accounts are not permitted. They can be placed under "sponsor" user-id.
  • Requests for HSM accounts go to res-consult (assuming they already have blue.unix account)
    • ToDo(9/99|Hamp): Make HSM account creation work like LONGTMP does now (admin script).
  • RCS group will update documentation, policies, and announce.

  
  

• Software

Outstanding Software Installs	Received	By/Due	Comments
1. S-Plus 5.1 for Solaris & AIX	June, 1999	Chip/January 15	License issues fixed; running on Solaris, waiting on upgrade of AIX to 4.3
2. SPSS 6.1.4 (Y2K fix) for Solaris & AIX	Bob S. - 12/28/1999	12/30/1999	Bob Schmidt installed same day received; Great JOB!
3. Gauss 3.30	Spring,1999	Done this fall	Stan-checked - it's installed; needs to be announced.
4. Iris Explorer	Nov. 1999	Necessary?	See discussion in December, 1999 minutes on this, Khoros & Data Explorer
5. SAS TS060 patch for Solaris	Fall,1999	Hamp?/ 2/21	Done.
6. Gnu Tree updates, esp. gcc 2.9.5	?

• Licensing Parallel debugger, TotalView.
• TODO: Tom> Look into licensing, cost of TotalView; whether Grimshaw will help pay for a platform (e.g., Linux) Tom, January, 2000: we now have 2 user license for any platform.
• Getting rid of old visualization software, Data Explorer and Khoros
• TODO(12/99: Tom> Identify issues with Khoros vs. IDL.
• TODO(11/99): Can we get list of last users for Iris Explorer, Khoros, and Data Explorer and decide if ought to keep. Contact users about migrating to IDL? And if dropping, put message in script to say no longer available as of X date.
  




• NPACI/Legion

  
  

• Research Computing Support Center (RCSC).
  
  • Update (Dawn)

  
  

• Research Advisory Committees
  • ACAC committee met Feb 2nd; Dawn & Tim attended at Mitch Rosen's invitation.
    • ToDo(9/99|TimT): Done. Attended first meeting, Tim will attend regularly the ACAC meetings.

IV. Adjourn by 12:00 PM and next meeting
Next Meeting: Monday, March 27, 2000, 10:30 AM

Suggestions, additions, corrections to: Tim Tolson

Go to: ITC Research Computing Committee Home Page