Application for computing time on the national high-performance computing facilities

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

   1. Available Resources
   2. Allocation Periods
   3. Allocation Units
   4. Application Types
   5. Application Procedures
      a. Apply for a new project or new allocation
      b. Apply for an extra allocation for an existing project
   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).

• Short news about the Notur facilities

2. Allocation Periods

The available resources on the facilities are allocated per period. An allocation period is a 6-month period, starting April 1 or October 1.

3. Allocation Units

Applications for access include a request for computing hours (or Allocation Units). Allocation Units are calculated from the number of processor hours requested on a facility multiplied by a factor that represents the speed of a processor core on that facility.

The table below shows the approximate number of computing hours available for allocation period 2011.1. One computing hour on njord (1.9 Ghz, 4 flops/cycle) is the reference for calculating Allocation Units.

* This does not include hours allocated for operational 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*1.40 = 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 research project or closely related research projects 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.
• REGULAR applications for up to 1,000,000 Allocation Units per allocation period. 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. For the evaluation of these applications, a peer review procedure may be used. The deadline for LARGE applications is therefore earlier than for REGULAR 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.

One can apply for multiple allocation periods in a single application. However, only apply for multiple periods if you are able to predict the future computational needs for the project. Also make sure that you keep track of the allocation period(s) that you have applied for already, to avoid that you submit multiple proposals at different points in time for the same allocation period.

5. Application Procedures

a. Apply for a new project or new allocation.

Before filling the application form, you should verify that you are eligible to apply.

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(s). For each research project that will use 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, this 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 take longer time to process.

b. Apply for an extra allocation for an existing project.

You can apply for EXTRA allocations (additional computing hours) during an on-going allocation period. This is meant for existing projects that were already given an allocation, but that run out of computing time before the end of the period. As the original application/project was already evaluated earlier, a light-weight procedure is used for requesting additional allocations:

1. Log on to http://www.notur.no/application
2. Select the relevant Notur application under option 5 ('Apply for an extra allocation for an already approved application for the current period').
3. Fill the needed extra computing time for the relevant facilities and provide a short description of why the extra allocations are needed.
4. Submit the request.

Once the allocation periods that were applied for in an application have expired, one must submit a new application for the project (with updated project description, resource requests, etc). It is not possible to prolong the validity of an application with additional allocation periods.

6. Application Deadlines

There are two calls for applications per year.

Upcoming deadlines are:

• February 13, 2012, for LARGE and REGULAR projects starting period 2012.1 (April 1, 2012)

Applications for new SMALL/NEW projects or EXTRA computing hours do not have a deadline. Such applications are processed continuously (normally within five working days).

Applications for REGULAR/LARGE projects that are received after the deadline will be processed subject to available resources.

The available resources on the facilities are allocated to projects a few weeks before the start of a 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 processor core hours or may have to be allocated on facilities that can be considered suboptimal.

The deadlines for applications for advanced user support are normally the same as the deadlines for REGULAR applications for computing time.

7. Application Evaluation

The applications that are received within the deadline are reviewed by the Resource Allocation Committee.

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

The decisions of the Resource Allocation Committee 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 Resource Allocation Committee may choose to consult experts in the scientific and engineering area of the application and experts in techniques for efficient resource utilization.

The Resource Allocation Committee reserves 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 Resource Allocation Committee may also forward an application to a university for allocation on the local part of the requested machine.

When an application is approved, a 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 allocation(s) by the project. The applicant must ensure that the allocation(s) are used only for the activities specified in the application.

The Resource Allocation Committee assigns allocations a few weeks before the start of each allocation period. In case you have applied for multiple allocation periods in a single application (e.g., 2011.1 and 2011.2), then the Committee will consider the request for period 2011.1 a few weeks before the start of period 2011.1, the request for 2011.2 a few weeks before the start of period 2011.2, etc. You need not reapply once you have submitted a request for a certain period, unless the proposed activity or request(s) for computing hours are no longer valid.

8. Application Form

The Application Form for time on the Notur computer facilities.