Getting Started
Your first time using a supercomputer, also known as High-Performance Computing (HPC), environment can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This guide will get you started with the basics.
This article will assume a basic familiarity with the Linux command line. If you are new to Linux or need a refresher, RC has created a guide at The Linux Shell
This document also assumes you already have requested and been granted an account. If not, please see Getting an Account
Please also familiarize yourself with our Acceptable Use Policy before getting started. Sections 4-8 contain important information on permitted and prohibited activities. If not all the terms make sense yet don’t worry, we’ll be covering it further down in this document.
If you run into problems or need additional help, we hold regular weekly office hours (Holiday & Summer hours may vary).
Important Terms
Login Node: A node intended as a launching point to compute nodes. Login nodes have minimal resources and should not be used for any application that consumes a lot of CPU or memory. Also known as a head node.
Compute Node: Nodes intended for heavy computing. This is where all heavy processing should be done
RC: Short for Research Computing, the team that manages the ASU HPC supercomputer.
HPC: Short for “High Performance Computing” it refers to a group (cluster) of computers designed for parallelism across many computers at once. Publicly these are often called “supercomputers”
Cluster: A group of interconnected computers that can work cooperatively or independently.
Job: Work assigned to be done on a compute node. Any time a compute node is assigned a job is created.
Scheduler: The application on our end that assigns compute resources for jobs.
Slurm: The brand name of our scheduler like which manages and allocates resources.
Quick Start
We recommend reading through the detailed start below for users who have never used any HPC environment before.
For those who wish to get started quickly the basic steps:
Connect to the ASU VPN
Choose a connection method (Web Portal / SSH)
Transfer files as needed
Log in with your ASURITE & password
Run an interactive session or create an SBATCH script
Detailed Start
Connect through the Cisco VPN
All RC resources require the user to be connected to the ASU Cisco VPN. While some areas of campus may permit connectivity without the VPN, the official stance is to use the VPN for all connections. This will help ensure the most friction-free experience. Be sure to connect to sslvpn.asu.edu/2fa, and if prompted for a “second password,” provide either a DUO code, push to receive a DUO push request, phone to authenticate via a phone call, or sms to authenticate via a text message.
Please go to the SSL VPN page for additional details or install the software.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are having trouble connecting to the ASU VPN you will need to contact ASU support. RC does not have any control or insight into the VPN and cannot assist with VPN issues.
Choosing a connection method
Research Computing provides two methods for connecting to the supercomputer. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Our web portals have become the standard for new users, as these interfaces provide a file system viewer and editor, a job submission tool, the ability to view the job queue, and a collection of interactive applications including a virtual desktop, Jupyter Lab, and RStudio. In the file manager, uploading files is as easy as dragging-and-dropping through the interface! The web portals are accessible through https://sol.asu.edu or https://phx.asu.edu. Access is requested individually through the following instructions on Getting an Account.
The virtual desktop can be provided and is the best way to use graphical applications on the supercomputer. However, please try to avoid using graphical sessions unless you are first learning how to work with the supercomputer or you’re working with software that is only accessible through a graphical user interface. The goal of any interactive session on the supercomputer should be to develop a working job scheduler script (sbatch) so that you may properly begin to take advantage of what supercomputing offers.
Connecting to a supercomputer with SSH is the most versatile method as it allows for unattended use. It does have its drawbacks with interactive graphical applications as tends to be slower. For example, if you intend to use MATLAB graphically (as opposed to MATLAB command line only) the screen draw will take additional time. For graphical applications, we recommend our web portal instead.
Transfer files if needed
This is optional, however, most research is likely to require data sets to be imported. For details please see Transferring Files to and from the Supercomputer or /wiki/spaces/RC/pages/201490433
Log in to the supercomputer
You should now be ready to reach the login node. The login node is running software called arbiter2. Arbiter2 monitors and protects interactive nodes with cgroups. It records the activity on nodes, automatically sets limits on the resources available to each user, and notifies users and administrators by email when users are penalized for using excessive resources.
Run Interactive or SBATCH
If you are using RC’s Jupyter or RStudio this section can be skipped. If using a personally installed version of RStudio or Jupyter you should continue with this part.
Once you have a command prompt, there are two ways to get to a compute node:
Starting an Interactive Session : Will assign a compute node and connect your command prompt to it. This is good when working by hand to establish the commands needed to run your work. When your session disconnects, the interactive session also closes. Any unsaved work will be lost.
/wiki/spaces/RC/pages/1643905055 : This is a method of telling the scheduler you want an unattended job run. When an sbatch is submitted the job will run until it either completes, fails, or runs out of time. Once submitted sbatch jobs will run without remaining connected to the supercomputer.
Recommended Reading
The page linked above will cover additional details on the supercomputer environment which will assist in maximizing your results.
Helpful Tips!!!
If your job is failing, a JobID helps us significantly as we can pull detailed information about the job by using the ID.
For a great reference on building proficiency with command-line tools, we provide the following MIT link from CSAIL.
Additional Help
If you require further assistance on this topic, please don't hesitate to contact the Research Computing Team. To create a support ticket, kindly send an email to rtshelp@asu.edu. For quick inquiries, you're welcome to reach out via our #rc-support Slack Channel or attend our office hours for live assistance
We also offer a series of workshops. More information here: Educational Opportunities and Workshops