Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is AAP?2. Am I eligible for this program?
3. Who is my campus administrator?
4. How do I apply?
5. When will I receive my login information?
6. How do I choose a resource (storage/computing)?
7. What are SUs and how many should I apply for?
8. What do I have access to when i receive a computing allocation?
9. What do I have access to when I receive a storage allocation?
10. What software is available?
11. How do I submit a job?
12. Why is my job below a subsequent job on the queue?
13. How do I back up files?
14. How do I manage my account?
15. Can I renew my account?
1. What is AAP?
The Academic Associates Program (AAP) provides University of California (UC) researchers free access to computational resources at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). Click here to learn more about us and also obtain a copy of our flyer describing our program.2. Am I eligible for this program?
If you are a faculty member, student, or staff from any of the UC campuses with a need for storage or computing resources, you are eligible! Learn more about eligibility requirements.3. Who is my campus administrator?
Each UC campus has a local campus administrator who approves or denies user request. View the list of your campus administrators.4. How do I apply?
Fill out the AAP application form to obtain an allocation on an SDSC storage or computing resource.5. When will I receive my login information?
A packet containing login information should arrive by U.S. mail within a week of approval. (If you are in or near San Diego, you can pick it up from us in person, too, at: 10100 Hopkins Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0505). Read more about the general review process.6. How do I choose a resource (storage/computing)?
We have provided some basic guidelines for choosing the right resource.7. What are SUs and how many should I apply for?Users are encouraged to read the User Guide online before making a decision If you are still unable to make a decision, we can help you. Contact your campus administrator or AAP coordinator.
- For computing resource (DataStar, TeraGrid & BlueGene)
- For storage resources
SUs are Service Units roughly equivalent to one hour of CPU time. Some SUs are charged from a user's allocation depending on priority and wall clock hours (see How Accounts Are Charged). Most researchers, in the AAP program, start with a few (100-3000) up to 10,000 SUs, but it really depends on the particular application. Additional SUs can always be awarded. If you are not sure about the number, contact your campus administrator or AAP coordinator.8. What do I have access to when i receive a computing allocation?
You will receive limited access to the TeraGrid Cluster, DataStar or Blue Gene; plus disk storage (<1 GB), GPFS storage (files >1 GB) and HPSS archival storage. DataStar users can also directly access SAM-QFS archival storage from the interactive p690 node. REMINDER: GPFS is not backed up, therefore it is the user's responsibility to backup files.9. What do I have access to when I receive a storage allocation?
You will receive limited access to HPSS or SAM-QFS archival storage. If you want to manage heterogeneous data resources over a network, you may also request a Storage Resource Broker (SRB) account.10. What software is available?
For a list of applications on the TeraGrid Cluster, visit the SDSC TeraGrid User Guide. For a list of applications on DataStar, visit SDSC Resources. Blue Gene does not yet have any applications installed.11. How do I submit a job?
Sample scripts to submit jobs can be found in the Running Jobs section of the User Guide for each resource:12. Why is my job below a subsequent job on the queue?
On the TeraGrid Cluster and DataStar, the queue system uses the Catalina scheduler to manage job submissions (see Job Scheduling and Priorities). Catalina gives preference to jobs with higher node requirements and users with larger allocations. This is done because larger size jobs cannot be run elsewhere on smaller clusters. Under special circumstances, SDSC Consulting can modify the job priorities.13. How do I back up files?
You may either store backups in HPSS archival storage or on your local disk using an SCP client. Please note that it is the user's responsibility to backup files.14. How do I manage my account?
Please visit Managing Your Account to learn how to see the amount of time left on your allocation, how to add users to your account, etc.15. Can I renew my account?
Yes, you can submit a renewal request using our online form; choose renewal option and enter your current user name.
