Minutes of CRAG Meeting #25 held on 9th October 2006 ==================================================== Time and Place: --------------- 13:00 - 14:00, Monday 9th October 2006, Room E1, Physics and Astronomy Present: -------- John Brodholt (Earth Sciences - Chair) Clare Gryce (Research Computing Coordinating Manager - Secretary) Simon Clifford (Chemistry - Prism Systems Administrator) William Hay (IS-RC Team) sally Price (Chemistry) Jeremy Yates (Physics and Astronomy and Research Computing) Ben Waugh (Physics and Astronomy) Callum Wright (IS-RC Team) 1) Apologies, Minutes, Actions ============================== Apologies --------- Apologies had been received from Paul Kellam. Minutes ------- The minutes of the last meeting (#24) had been circulated, approved and published on the RC website. Actions from last meeting ------------------------- ACTION 20-1: Clare/Ben to investigate original terms of LCG agreement and report back. Closed. Ben to report to CRAG if any user problems arise and on outcomes of new funding bid. ACTION 21-2: clare to draft statement on policy relating to misuse of facilities or unacceptable behaviour by users. Ongoing, awaiting discussion by 'IS-RC Liaison Group'. No problems meanwhile other than recent issue on interactive use of Altix (see below) ACTION 22-1: IS-RC to add all new users to appropriate announcement lists, and retrospectively add existing users who have not subscribed. Ongoing. Some have been done by IS-RC. Clare still to do retrospective addition of all users to Forum list. CG to chase up IS-RC actions with Austin. ACTION 24-1: clare and Jeremy to start to consider models for future allocation of resources and report back. Done. Use of the HPCx model has been suggested as the basis for a local model. This was reported at the last Forum meeting and there were no objections. To be carried forward by CRAG. ACTION 25-1: John to draft statement regarding likely management features that will be required for new system, for the Procurement Board. Done and reviewed: 1. Research Computing Systems Administrators (IS-RC) set up allocations for Consortia based on CRAG's recommendations 2. Individual Consortia nominate their own allocation Administrator 3. New users can register themselves using a password provided to them by their Consortia's Administrator 4. This Administrator is notified via email of any new user and then OK's the registration via web-based tools 5. The Administrator allocates CPU and disc space to individual users within their Consortia Usage by non-UCL users to be reviewed again in due course. ACTION 24-3: Item for agenda of next meeting - job size (CPU's) guidelines on Altix and possible migration to Keter. Carried forward to next meeting. ACTION 24-5: Jeremy to talk to Dario about possible migration of VASP jobs to Keter. Ongoing. Jeremy has talked to Dario and awaiting a response. LCN users are currently running VASP jobs on Keter. 2) Condor Status Report & stats =============================== August = 12.84% September = 11.83% No issues reported from Clovis. 3) C^3 Status Report & stats ============================ August = 72% September = 56% LCG usage going up. 4) Altix Status Report & stats ============================== August = 85.3% September = stats to come (but machine has been full) 5) Keter Status Report and stats ================================= August = 62% September = 64% Still need to Air con will be fixed on Thursday this week and so full service will be restored. 6) Prism Status Report ====================== One user request from CS PhD student - Simon is investigating software compatibilities. 7) User requests ================ C^3 – 2 Condor - 3 Keter – 1 Altix – 3 Prism – 1 8) Policy on interactive use of Altix/Keter ============================================ One user has repeatedly been running interactive jobs on the Altix, outside the permitted time and CPU limits. Warnings were issued by IS-RC and CG and no response was received until the account was suspended. CG to respond advising: - Need to find way of automating his 4 CPU submissions so that they can run via the queue ( he can talk to Jeremy and his Line Manager/Supervisor) - Need to talk to IS-RC about which machines might be best suited to his jobs - IS-RC to reinstate account - interactive space is for debugging and testing not production work at all (cannot account for use and also need to leave space for other users) ACTION 25-1: clare to email user advising on interactive use of Altix. Need to consider future interactive use at next meeting (to support job submission environments for e.g Gaussian) 9) News from RCSC and Forum ============================ NOthing in particular to report. Noted that the availability of general Fortran/Unix support from the IS Academic and Applications Support Group was highlighted at the Forum, with all requests for assistance to be mediated by CG. 10) Web updates =============== To do as time permits - none urgent. 11) AOB and next meeting date ============================= No other business. Next meeting date - Monday 6th November, to consider management software and allocation models. LIST OF CURRENT AND ONGOING ACTIONS =================================== ACTION 21-2: clare to draft statement on policy relating to misuse of facilities or unacceptable behaviour by users. Ongoing, awaiting discussion by 'IS-RC Liaison Group'. No problems meanwhile other than recent issue on interactive use of Altix (see below) ACTION 22-1: IS-RC to add all new users to appropriate announcement lists, and retrospectively add existing users who have not subscribed. Ongoing. Some have been done by IS-RC. Clare still to do retrospective addition of all users to Forum list. CG to chase up IS-RC actions with Austin. ACTION 24-3: Item for agenda of next meeting - job size (CPU's) guidelines on Altix and possible migration to Keter. Pending. Carried forward to next meeting. ACTION 24-5: Jeremy to talk to Dario about possible migration of VASP jobs to Keter. Ongoing. Jeremy has talked to Dario and awaiting a response. LCN users are currently running VASP jobs on Keter. ACTION 25-1: clare to email user advising on interactive use of Altix.