TACC resources are deployed, configured, and operated to serve a large, diverse user community. It is important that all users are aware of and abide by TACC Usage Policies. Failure to do so may result in suspension or cancellation of the project and associated allocation and closure of all associated logins. Illegal transgressions will be addressed through UT and/or legal authorities.
SecurityUsers must maintain the security of TACC systems and resources:
- login identifiers belong to a specific individual and must not be shared under any circumstances; PIs can create new logins as needed,
- login identifier passwords must never be revealed to others,
- PIs are responsible for notifying TACC when login identifiers should be deactivated due to the departure of the owner or termination of the project.
TACC staff has documented the purpose and proper use of resources and services via a series of user guides and other web-based documents available on the TACC web site and TACC User Portal. Users assume the responsibility for becoming familiar with this documentation, particularly relating to issues such as adherence to resource limits, proper and considerate use of the batch queuing system, understanding the purpose and proper use of file systems and storage services, and proper use of TACC facilities.
TACC allocations should be used only for work directly related to the project for which the allocation was requested and granted. TACC systems, facilities and services should only be used for documented or obvious intended purpose. Examples of improper use follow:
- Using the high-performance systems to run applications that can be executed on basic PCs and workstations,
- Playing games or viewing movies not related to the project in the Visualization Laboratory,
- Using storage systems for backing up data that is not related to the project allocation.
The TACC SAN is intended to provide the user community with a high-speed, shared storage facility that is available to all TACC computational resources. Data stored on the SAN must be associated with research projects approved by the TACC allocations committee. Users storing data not meeting this criterion will be contacted and may lose all rights to use TACC resources. All users assume the responsibility for reading the information contained in the appropriate system User Guide.
User Support
TACC users are encouraged to request assistance from TACC staff when necessary. All requests for support must be submitted through the TACC Consulting Request System: http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/services/consulting/, except for users of the ACES Visualization Laboratory who may receive in-person support during normal working hours. Exceptions to this policy will be handled on a case by case basis. Special project collaborations are examples of situations requiring direct communication between TACC staff and the user community.
TACC support staff will provide advice to users regarding the development, porting, debugging, and optimizing of codes, and in the proper use of TACC resources. Support does not include the actual development, porting, debugging, and optimization of codes.
Refund RequestsUsers of TACC compute resources may submit via the appropriate User Portal (TACC or TeraGrid) refund requests for jobs that terminate abnormally. TACC support staff members will grant requests that can be attributed to hardware and system software failure. Requests will be granted for up to 8 wall clock hours of compute time (8 times the number of processors or cores used by the job). Users are required to implement a checkpoint/restart capability in their codes to minimize the amount of lost cycles due to job failure.
TACC User NewsInformation regarding important TACC activities, including system availability and upgrades, TACC training classes, allocation renewal notifications, and holiday consulting coverage will be communicated to the user community via TACC User News. Upon receiving an allocation the PI is automatically subscribed to all relevant TACC User News categories, as is any user for which the PI creates a login. Users may unsubscribe from TACC User News, but still assume the responsibility for the information contained therein. TACC User News can be accessed through the TACC portal, https://portal.tacc.utexas.edu, or the TACC home page, http://www.tacc.utexas.edu.
Please reference TACC in any research report, journal, or publication that requires citation of authors’ work. The recognition of the TACC resources you used to perform research is important for acquiring funding for the next generation of hardware, support services, and our research and development activities in HPC, visualization, data storage, and grid infrastructure.
At minimum, a citation should include:
Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)
The University of Texas at Austin
Our suggested acknowledgement is (select one or more items within the braces, as appropriate):
The authors acknowledge the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin for providing {HPC, visualization, database, or grid} resources that have contributed to the research results reported within this paper. URL: http://www.tacc.utexas.edu.