Transition to coreHPC

This is about the transition to Cluster 8 also known as CoreHPC / Santa Clara.

Timeline

• We can get accounts on Core HPC NOW - Sept 2026
• Wynton will be shutting down in Spring 2027.
• Katie already has docking and 3D building running there
• Katie is currently porting ChemSTEP
• I am looking for volunteers to help port other aspects of our software

What you should do now if you are a Wynton user or you need more compute than we have locally on C2 and C7

• Start reducing your footprint on Wynton aka Cluster 3.
• For projects that are finished (published, abandoned) or small, please:
  • gzip/delete/tar aggressively, writing READMEs to anyone who might use them in future
  • move to C7. We recommend against C2, because we are trying to reduce it, but C2 is ok too.
  • make a separate backup using an external USB disk. These are available in my office BH508A.
  • make a copy of your backup (you get one, we keep one), doubling the chances that the file can be recovered one day.
  • label the disk, and write an email or wiki page about it, so we know what it is.
  • when you are sure it is backed up. delete from Wynton.
• For projects that are ongoing:
  • be aware that you have about 5 months left, so it is not too soon to start backing up critical files.
  • if you do not really need Wynton, and could run on C7 or C8 (coreHPC), consider transitioning now to save trouble later.
  • look critically at the files you control on Wynton and delete whatever you can if safe. e.g. temporary files. things you tried, and don't care about any more.

What's next

• we will start really bothering you about moving to Cluster 8 aka CoreHPC in January 2027.
• I am told both Cluster 8 and Cluster 7 have unused capacity that might be just what you need to move your jobs ahead.

Please write things down

• Please write a wiki page for any new procedure you develop
• You can write a wiki page, e.g. "My move to CoreHPC, volume 1" just to track your progress, so that we can see what is going on.

Thank you