Standing Committee and Mangement Meeting
(in
Members: Alice, Bill, Dawn, Ed, Hamp, Kathy G., Katherine H., Jim, Mark S., Martha, Nancy K,
Robin, Sue Ellen, Steve, Terry, Tim S., Joe S., Tom S.
Attending: Alice, Ed, Hamp,
Kathy G., Katherine
H., Jim, Martha, Robin, Steve, Terry, Tim S., Tom S.
Chair: Tim T. Recorder: Alice Howard
(
II. Ongoing Discussion Topics:
1. Cluster
projects:
· “Condo” Cluster #2:
o
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/itc-clusters/cluster-purchase.html
o
Timeline?
Since we were off by four months last time, it seems more realistic to
decide what we want by end of Jan’06, order it in Feb’06, and have it set up
and configured in June’06 – therefore advertising it as “go live” in Summer’06.
o
Have a number of options to decide on –
including single core vs. dual core.
· Cedar Cluster Outstanding issues:
o
Is AVAKI Gateway node on Cedar? Steve will do this when it’s shut down on
o
PBSPro priority queuing for paying participants and usage reporting. Katherine and Ed working on it and have a
template page.
· Aspen & Birch cluster:
Any issues or concerns?
o
Do plan to have
o
Did extend the warranty on Birch until
2006. There was also some discussion
about whether myrinet is worth it given that there
are some newer alternatives.
· All the Linux clusters: At August meeting agreed to create
script/alias for password command (e.g., passwd) to
invoke message that users need to change password on blue.unix
not on cluster front-end. Hamp will do it.
· Oak Cluster: No issues or
concerns.
· Teak cluster: There was
some discussion about how much longer we should continue to support IRIX on
teak – given our difficulties with the Gaussian vendor and the fact that G03
runs on teak only – may have to keep for awhile.
2. /longtmp
· Script to automate checking usage and reminding users. (Hamp and TimT to collaborate on this.)
o
No change in status.
3. blue.unix upgrade of nodes to new 64-bit nodes and new
version of OS. We need to test software carefully. Names:
blue[1-3}.itc
· Rollout timeline? The
problem has boiled down to one system call – we got a ‘fix’ for it, but it does
not seem to have fixed it. We currently
have no idea when we can get this fixed – Hamp is
trying to escalate this with IBM.
Meanwhile Steve L is testing between new-blue-1 with the fix and
new-blue-2 without the fix.
· The “gather” command/tools will still work.
· Lisrel
turned out to be the only software packages that was node specific and got rid
of it.
4.
Ganglia web pages: Need to add cedar.itc.
· Can we get
teak and oak clusters separated out from the general research
computing cluster so we can see these nodes easily? Will follow up later with Steve L.
· Is it possible to add athena.itc
(SMP)?
5. Andew Grimshaw’s request for
Linux front-end to campus grid project – Hamp will follow-up
on this.
From ResComp Management Meeting
Agendas:
6.
Proposal for Linux cluster support as ‘for-fee’ service:
·
Hamp needs to translate hourly rate information into terms that
would correspond to “how many years to maintain your cluster”;
·
Need guidelines for how to handle support
for researchers who don’t purchase cluster support but expect assistance and
guidance from ITC for their cluster.
7.
New “disk wedge” leasing rates?
Ability to get additional disk storage space is a CRITICAL issue for
researchers:
·
Have new disk rates that Susie is taking
through Cost Accounting – should have these on a website by January – basically
$29 per GB per year for first 10 GB, an additional $15 per GB per year for or the next 11-100 GB, and an additional $13 per GB per yearfor anything > 100
GB.
·
Also – recently learned that ITC offers
disk space behind a firewall for HIPPA data.
Web page on service and rates is coming.
8.
Acquiring monitoring tools as discussed in March, especially MPI Link
Checker (65 to 128 nodes is $4250 less 20% = $3400). Hamp or Bill will
order.
9.
Phil Parrish is leading UVa’s participation in
responding to NSF’s Request for Proposals for next generation/iteration of
Supercomputing Centers. UVA is
participating via ORNL and its consortium schools and likely one or two others
outside consortium. No news – hoping
Mitch knows.
III. New Business:
10.
Is it time to dust off, re-polish, and shop the Advanced Computational
Support Center (ACSC) proposal since the announcement in Inside UVA of MAJOR gift to SEAS from Rice Family Foundation to
further construction of planned $50 million IT engineering building?
11.
What or what more can we be doing towards
recruitment of 10 NAS-level faculty?
12.
CSS Research Computing support staff and services relocating to Brown
Science & Engineering Library and Alderman Library fourth floor in summer
2006. TimT
will remain in
Next Scheduled Meeting of this group:
Next Scheduled Meeting of ITC ResComp Management team:
Go to: ITC Research Computing Standing Committee Home Page