HPC Onboarding
What is High Performance Computing?
High Performance computing (HPC), is the aggregation of computing power from multiple clusters being able to process complex calculations in a way that would deliver a much higher performance outcome than one could get out of a typical desktop computer or workstation. UHD utilizes this system to solve large problems in our Computer Science, Engineering, Natural Science, and Math departments.
The core of the HPC cluster is the scheduler. This HPC application allows the system to run batches of computations as well as keep track of available resources and allow job requests to be efficiently assigned to the various compute resources such as the CPU and GPU across the clusters.
A typical HPC solution has 3 main components:
- Compute (processing power of each node)
- Network (the clustering of nodes in the server room)
- Storage (the available disk space in each node combined)
What is the HPC cluster?
An HPC cluster consists of a multitude of compute servers that are networked together in a rack mount system. Each server is called a node and 16 nodes consist of a cluster. The nodes in each cluster work in parallel with each other by boosting processing speed to deliver high-performance computing. A cluster is basically considered a group of interconnected computers that work together to perform computationally intensive tasks.
Who are the HPC users?
The use of the HPC system is available for all active UHD faculty, staff, and students. The particular audience for this system, are those in research. The current departments actively participating are CSET, Mathematics, and Natural Science. We are currently reaching out to other departments to participate in utilizing the power of the HPC system.
How can I get an account?
In order to access UHD's HPC cluster, you must have an active UHD account. To be eligible for access to the cluster, please check with our Account Request section, subsection 'Eligibility' which is located within HPC Policies and Procedures. If you meet the requirements, request an account by filling out the HPC Account Request Form. When you are approved, an account will be created and you can start using the cluster. Check out the "Getting Started" page for more information on accessing and navigating the cluster.