ssh: HPC Remote Access#
Two key points when using the supercomputer:
We access the computers remotely with our terminal
Slurm is used to manage jobs on the cluster
What is ssh?#
To login remotely to a supercomputer, we use the command ssh on the terminal. This is short for secure shell protocol and can take a few arguments. The syntax is ssh [username]@ssh.server.example.edu.
First, open your terminal, and follow the directions for Oscer or Pete SSH. Change the [username] part, to the username you created!!
What is Slurm?#
Since high-performace computing centers are composed of many parts (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD, HDD, etc.), involving many different users (biological science, machine learning, etc.) with different needs. They require a job scheduling and resource management system. One system is Slurm.
Slurm is like a traffic cop for computers. It’s a software system used in big computer clusters, like those in data centers or supercomputers. Slurm helps manage and allocate the computing resources, like processors and memory, to different tasks or jobs that people want to run on the cluster.
Imagine a busy intersection where the traffic cop directs cars to different lanes or tells them when to go. Slurm does something similar but for computer tasks, making sure they don’t crash into each other and efficiently use the available resources, so everything runs smoothly. It helps coordinate and schedule who gets to use the computers and when.
For us, the users, some key points when using Slurm are:
Job Submission/Management
Resource Allocation/Utilization
Scripting and Automation