Access routes to HPC facilities
There are two main classes of access for high performance computing resource directed toward pump priming (class 2) and peer reviewed science (class 1) prjoects. These are described in the section below.
Class 1 - peer reviewed access to the national services
Two peer reviewed routes are available:
Computer resource in support of an EPSRC research proposal (class 1a on technical assessment form)
Under this mode of access, applicants can request compute time on a national service as part of their EPSRC responsive mode or call application. Class 1a applications to use the ‘service are uncapped and open for the duration of the research grant they support. Compute time allocations will be assessed along with all other fEC resources requested by the applicant. As with all other resources, allocation requests will be assessed with respect to the quality of the scientific case and need to be justified in the application’s justification of resources.
In the case of calls for proposals issued by EPSRC, compute resources will also be assessed with respect to all other resources requested. However, due to the targeted nature of calls some restrictions or changes to the peer review process may be in operation, as such applicants are advised to read the call documentation thoroughly before submission.
Direct access to the national service (class 1b on technical assessment form)
Requests for compute time on the national service will, as for class 1a applications, be uncapped; however, usage will be restricted to a period of six months from the requested start date of award. Review of proposals received will be via a resource allocation panel (RAP) selected from a cross section of HPC users within the Engineering and Physical Sciences community. The RAP will assess the scientific quality and level of computing resource requested as presented, there will be no postal refereeing of proposals submitted under this mechanism. Applicants should note that Direct Access represents discretionary access to the HECToR system and is not a Research Council grant. As such no fEC costs will be considered under this mode of access.
The resource allocation panel meets every four months and our traget is to inform applicants within one week of the panel meeting if they have received support; awards must start access within one month of the panel meeting.
Researchers should apply for class 1b access if they require access to a significant amount of computing resources on a short timescale and do not require resources other than compute time e.g. proof of concept calculations in aid of a future grant proposal, testing code improvements at scale, production runs at core counts greater than that available on locally available clusters.
Class 2 - non peer–reviewed access to the national services
Non-peer reviewed access to the national services is intended to provide researchers with compute resource to investigate the potential benefits and any immediate issues regarding the running of their codes on the national service. As with peer-reviewed activity this access class is also split into two routes:
Pump priming activity (class 2a on the technical assessment)
Under this access route it is anticipated that most applications will be exploratory in nature, utilising compute time to gain a feel of whether usage of the service is of benefit to their research. As such this activity is aimed at new-users and those transitioning from other HPC platforms. All applicants will need to complete a technical assessment form (Word document on the HECToR website).
The technical assessment form is used to check the technical suitability of the work proposed for HECToR and is not an assessment of the underlying science, EPSRC will however review the form to check remit fit of the usage proposed. Under pump-priming activity users will be allowed access to up to 300 kAUs of computing resource on the system for a period of six months from EPSRC approval of access to the system.
Access to support distributed computational science and engineering applications (Class 2b)
Distributed computational science and engineering support (DCSE) is provided by the HECToR service in order to assist current and prospective HECToR users to optimise and develop their application codes for use on the HECToR system. More information about the DCSE support is available on the HECToR website.
Researchers should apply through this route if they wish to apply to a DCSE call but do not have compute resource at the time of application. Applicants can request a maximum of 800 kAUs in support of their DCSE proposal. HECToR time will be released on confirmation of DCSE support from Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG). Due to the limited resource, it is envisaged that this route will be used to support short-term activities e.g. code development in order to migrate from a mid-range system to national service or to support development work prior to submitting a full proposal to peer review. Access to the compute time will be allowed for the duration of the DCSE project.