HEP Computing Documentation

Desktops

For advice on using the 64bit SL5 desktops and known issues see the SL6Desktops topic.

Email

HEP email can be accessed via IMAPv4, webmail or from the command line with Pine. See EmailGuide for more information.

Filestores

Particle Physics produces a large quantity of data which, in turn, require large quantities of storage. There are a number of file stores in use and the nature of the data determines where it should be stored. For more information see the FilestoresGuide.

Grid Storage on DPM

Complementing the dedicated local filestores is the large capacity grid storage area (currently accessed using DPM). This is a shared resource for all grid users, with different levels of space reservation and experiment specific quotas. To learn more about storing and accessing files on DPM see the GridStorageGuide.

WISP Cloud Storage

The WISP Integrated Storage Portal is available for all HEP Linux account users and provides a web-based storage interface and synchronisation service. For more information on accessing and using it see the WispStorageGuide.

Backups

Some user data is backed up on a daily basis in case of accidental deletion or corruption. For more information about which data is backed up and how to retrieve it see the BackupsGuide.

Printers

The HEP print system provides monochrome and colour printers for all users. See the PrintersGuide for more information.

Authentication and Passwords

HEP systems have two main authentication systems, one for Linux and one for Samba (for printing and filestore access from Windows). Your Linux password will be assigned when the account is created. You can change it at any time using passwd from any HEP linux system. This will change the password for your shell access and email access.

For Windows access see SambaGuide for more information.

Networking

Adding a machine to the HEP network with MACAddressRegistration.

Guest wireless access can be provided for meetings and conferences in Room 337. Email helpdesk@hepREMOVETHIS.ph.liv.ac.uk with your requirements (including number of accounts and duration in days).

Batch and Interactive Processing

A number of queues are available for local analysis using dedicated HEP machines. See BatchProcessing for more information.

GPGPU (Tesla/Xeon Phi) Access and Usage

All standard SL6 desktops have NVidia cards available for CUDA-accelerated processing, with a minimum of 2GB of RAM and 96 cores. CUDA libraries are pre-installed. CUDA development software is available in /batchsoft/cuda/cuda-sl6/ and should already be configured.

We currently have 2 NVidia Tesla M2070 GPGPUs with 6GB RAM and 448 cores each, available on kappa.ph.liv.ac.uk.

There is a batch queue, gpgpu, which will schedule jobs to systems with CUDA devices (both desktop and dedicated). Please only use this outside normal office hours as CUDA jobs can interfere with normal desktop usage. CUDA work on kappa.ph.liv.ac.uk can take place at any time.

We currently have 3 Xeon Phi 7120P co-processor cards available for parallel processing on phi.ph.liv.ac.uk. See the XeonPhiProgramming page for more information.

Video Conferencing

Most day to day video conferencing needs can be easily met with a webcam and a suitable head set. If you are using desktop conferencing software (eg EVO or Skype) and need extra hardware see the admins in room 220.

We have a dedicated video conferencing room with built in hardware for groups or high quality conferencing. See the VideoConferenceRoom guide for more details.