Application for computing time on the national resources

On these pages you will find the information necessary to apply for allocations on the national supercomputer facilities in the Notur project.

   1. Available Resources
   2. Allocation Periods
   3. Allocation Units
   4. Application Types
   5. Application Procedure
   6. Application Deadlines
   7. Application Evaluation
   8. Application Form

1. Available Resources

One can apply for an allocation on a number of computing facilities in the national eInfrastructure. In general, each compute facility consists of a number of nodes that are interconnected by a network. Each node contains a number of processors, memory and internal disk. All nodes also have access to centralized storage. Despite these similarities, each of these facilities has different hardware characteristics. The machines have for example different numbers of processors per node, different types of processors, different node-interconnect performance, and different I/O-performance.

Individuals and groups can apply for allocations on any of these facilities. One should be convinced that the resources that are being applied for, match the intended usage and the characteristics of the software that will be used. In case of doubt, consult the support staff or UNINETT Sigma to get assistance in choosing the right platform. The Resource Allocation Committee that evaluates the applications may modify a request for access to a specific facility in case the proposed activity is believed to be more suited for another facility.

An allocation on a compute facility is in the form of computing hours (processor core hours).

2. Allocation Periods

The available resources on the facilities are allocated per allocation period. An allocation period is a 6-month period, starting the first working day in April or the first working day in October.

3. Allocation Units

Applications for access are classified by the total amount of Allocation Units requested. An Allocation Unit is derived from the number of computing hours requested on a facility multiplied by a factor that represents the speed of a single processor on that facility.

The table below shows the approximate number of computing hours available for allocation period 2008.2. One compute hour on njord is the reference for calculating Allocation Units.

* This does not include the computing time allocated for the operational weather forecasting by the Meteorological institute.

Example 1: An application for 50,000 hours on stallo and 14,000 hours on njord corresponds to 50,000*1.40 + 14,000*1.00 = 84,000 Allocation Units.

Example 2: Using 8 processor cores on stallo without interruption for an entire allocation period (6 months, 182 days) corresponds to 8*182*24*1.4 = 48,921 Allocation Units.

The quotas and factors in the above table may vary per allocation period.

4. Application Types

It is possible to apply for access to more than one facility in one application. Individuals and groups working on the same project are strongly encouraged to submit one (joint) application.

Four types of applications are distinguished:

• SMALL/NEW applications for up to 60,000 Allocation Units. This category targets new user groups and users that are not familiar with using HPC resources and would like to build experience and install applications. Also existing projects that would like to get acquainted with other platforms can make use of this category.
• NORMAL applications for up to 1,000,000 Allocation Units per allocation period. Applications are restricted to at most 20% of the national quota on a facility. This category is normally used for new projects or to continue existing projects into a new allocation period.
• LARGE applications for at least 1,000,000 Allocation Units per allocation period. All applications for at least 20% of the national quota on a facility are also considered large applications. These applications can request access for two allocation periods at once (with at least 1,000,000 Allocation Units per period). For the evaluation of these applications, a peer review procedure may be used. The deadline for such applications is therefore a few weeks earlier than for other types of applications.
• EXTRA applications for additional computing hours during an on-going allocation period. This is meant for existing projects that run out of computing time before the end of the period. Additional hours granted are normally unprioritized hours.

5. Application Procedure

Before filling the application form, we recommend that you verify that you are eligible to apply. In case of doubt, contact UNINETT Sigma.

An on-line application procedure is used. The applicant is encouraged to prepare the necessary information before filling the application form. Elements of an application are:

• Details of the applicant.
• Funding source. For each research project that will make use of the facilities, the applicant must provide title, contract number, and name of the programme (Research Council, EU, etc.). If the research project receives other funding, these must be stated as well.
• A project description with sufficient detail to judge the scientific merit and impact, engineering problems, a description of the computational methods and software and a discussion of their quality and state-of-the-art.
• Software used (user developed, public domain, libraries, commercial...).
• The type and the amount of access requested (facilities, computing hours). A description of the main characteristics of the software and the type of simulations should be provided, especially if these may limit the choice of the facilities or may require special type of access. Here, one should think of memory, disk, I/O requirements, but also 3rd party software, interactive usage, etc. It is recommended that you specify alternative facilities that suit your needs (but that are not applied for). The feasibility of using the requested resources should be detailed.
• Expected measurable output in number of publications and students (master and PhD) in the requested period. (This does normally not apply to SMALL/NEW projects.)

LARGE applications also require:

• A CV of the applicant (max. 4 pages), including a list of recent publications and references.
• The application written in English.
• Demonstrated experience of using HPC resources by the applicant and the users connected to the application.
• A demonstration of the efficiency of the software in terms of sustained single-processor performance and scalability in case the project envisages to run parallel simulations on many processors.
• Suggestion for 3-4 referees to review the application with competence in HPC and the application area. Suggested referees should not have recent or ongoing collaborations with any members of the research group or any other possible conflicts of interest.

The applicant must make sure that the information supplied in the application is accurate and up-to-date. Inaccurate or incomplete applications may be given lower priority and may take longer time to process.

6. Application Deadlines

There are two calls for applications per year. The deadline for application is circa ten weeks for the start of the allocation period for large applications and four weeks for other applications.

Upcoming deadlines are:

• August 31, 2008, for NORMAL projects starting period 2008.2 (October 1, 2008)
• January 30, 2009, for LARGE projects starting period 2009.1 (April 1, 2009)
• February 20, 2009, for NORMAL projects starting period 2009.1 (April 1, 2009)

Applications for new SMALL/NEW projects or EXTRA resources do not have a deadline. Such applications are handled continuously and are normally processed within five working days.

Applications for NORMAL/LARGE projects that received after the deadline will be given lower priority and approval will be subject to available resources.

NOTE: The available resources on the facilities are allocated to projects a few weeks before the start of a new period. It is therefore important to submit an application during the regular calls. Applications that are received outside the regular calls, can usually only be granted a limited amount of low-priority CPU hours or may have to be allocated on facilities that can be considered suboptimal.

NOTE: The deadlines for applications for advanced user support are normally the same as the deadlines for NORMAL applications for computing time.

7. Application Evaluation

The applications that are received within the deadline are reviewed by the Resource Allocation Committee (RFK) and UNINETT Sigma.

Applications for SMALL/NEW or EXTRA resources have a light-weight evaluation process and are processed continuously (normally within five working days).

The decisions of the RFK are guided by the following:

• Quality and completeness of the application
• Quality and state-of-the-art of the solution methods and software
• Scientific value and impact, e.g., internationally competitive research
• Expected measurable output in number of publications and students (master and PhD).
• Demonstrated need for access to leading-edge compute facilities
• New user groups and disciplines are given higher priority
• The request for resources (type and amount) must be reasonable. E.g., projects that repeatedly overestimate their needs (i.e., use considerably less resources than they applied for) in successive allocation periods will be reduced in size.

For the evaluation of an application, the RFK may choose to consult experts in the scientific and engineering area of the application and experts in techniques for efficient resource utilization.

The RFK and UNINETT Sigma reserve the right to alter the request for resources, especially the capacity of the requested facilities is insufficient. In such case, an application may be reduced in size or assigned to another facility. The request for resources may also be altered if the request appears to be too large and/or the need for the amount of resources is not sufficiently motivated.

The RFK reserves the right to forward an application to a university for resources on the local part of the requested machine.

Applicants will be notified ca. 10 days before the start of the allocation period.

When the application is approved, a CPU hour project will established on the machine(s) that is valid for the period that has been applied for. The applicant will be responsible for this project and must keep an overview of the usage of the allocated resources within the project. The applicant must ensure that the granted resources are used only for the activities specified in the application.

8. Application Form

The Application Form for computing time.