TeraGrid support
CISL Consulting Services Group
wrote and published the user documentation for frost, NCAR's computing
resource on the TeraGrid. This document provides a complete set of
introductory information for new users of the system.
Since NCAR's IBM BlueGene/L platform frost went live on the TeraGrid
in August 2007, CISL has:
- Provided user services
- Supported the TeraGrid infrastructure on frost
- Collaborated in planning, resource allocations, and accounting
- Extended our scientific computational tools to a broader scientific community
This effort supports NCAR's strategic goal to "provide robust, accessible, and innovative services and tools" and NCAR's strategic goal of "enhancing capability and capacity of NCAR supercomputing."
In FY2008 CISL provided user support by reviewing and handling 29 NCAR-related TeraGrid user tickets. We also provided advanced consulting support for users with MRAC allocations. We wrote a frost user guide to include instructions for TeraGrid users and participated in weekly Services-WG teleconferences. We coordinated NCAR-related documentation on the TeraGrid portal, handling 23 requests for documentation upgrades or corrections. We assisted CISL ESMI personnel with practical advice for getting started with their build and test facility on the TeraGrid. We presented a poster at TeraGrid 08 conference, "Early Experiences with Performance and Scaling with CAM, WRF, and CCSM on Ranger."
In FY2008 CISL operated a proof-of-concept Data Analysis and Visualization (DAV) resource that was limited to a small number of friendly users. User support for the prototype system was provided in an ad-hoc manner by the Data Analysis Services Group. CISL's plans call for the deployment of a production DAV service in FY2009. A formal user support mechanism, more consistent with CISL's broader TG support policies, will be established in conjunction with the deployment of the new NCAR resource.
Also in FY 2009, we plan to provide the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) and Weather and Regional Forecast (WRF) models to the TeraGrid for use in benchmarking. We are also participating in porting and validating the Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) on the Ranger system at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
These ongoing services are supported by NSF Core funds.