Application Process

Note: SciNet Account creation is suspended during the transition from the General Purpose Cluster to the new Niagara supercomputer. You can still go through the process below, but your SciNet account creation request will not be handled until April 2018, when Niagara will be taken into general production.

To use SciNet’s computational resources, any qualified researcher at a Canadian University is eligible for a free account on the SciNet systems. To apply for a SciNet account, one must first register with the Compute Canada Database. In general, the faculty member first applies, after which group members can request accounts. Note that accounts have default limits but those users with especially large resource requirements may apply for more resources in the annual national Resource Allocation Competition (RAC, see below).

Here is a synopsis of the account application process:

First, the Faculty member (PI) follows these steps

1. Go to the Compute Canada Database (CCDB) at https://ccdb.computecanada.ca
2. Click on "Register"; agree to the Acceptable Usage Policy; then fill out and submit a Compute Canada account application.
3. After a few days, the PI receives a Compute Canada account confirmation email with a Compute Canada Role Identifier (CCRI).
4. The PI can now log into the ccdb, go to the "Apply for a Consortium Account" item under the "My Account" menu, and click on the "Apply" button next to SciNet.
5. This request is sent to SciNet; After a few days, the PI will be notified, by e-mail, when the account has been set up.

Next, the PI's group members and collaborators can go through the same process:

1. Go to the Compute Canada Database (CCDB) at https://ccdb.computecanada.ca
2. Click on "Register"; agree to the Acceptable Usage Policy; then fill out and submit a Compute Canada account application. They should indicate on the application form in step 2 that they are a "Sponsored User". They need to enter the PI's Compute Canada Role Identifier (CCRI), which they should request from him/her.
3. The PI will receive a request to approve the account application.
4. After a few days, the user receives a Compute Canada account confirmation email.
5. The user can now log into the CCDB, go to the "Apply for a Consortium Account" item under the "My Account" menu, and click on the "Apply" button next to SciNet.
6. This request is sent to SciNet; After a few days, the user will be notified, by e-mail, when the account has been set up.

Rapid Access Service

All SciNet users have access to a "Rapid Access Service" (RAS, which was previously known as a "default allocation") which gives them the ability to use a certain maximum number of nodes at any time. If that limit has been exceeded, the user's jobs will remain in the queue until they are able to run.

Currently, the default allocation limits are equivalent to continuous usage of 32 nodes (256 cores) on the GPC and 2 nodes on the TCS (for groups with access to that machine) in any given 48-hour period. Note that this default is a maximum limit rather than a guaranteed limit. If the job queue is full then it is possible that jobs are unable to start even if a user's default limits have not been reached.

It is also important to understand that this RAS limit applies to entire research groups rather than to individuals. Thus, if one member of a group is using the full default allocation then jobs submitted by other users in the same group will wait in the queue until they are able to run. It is technically more correct to say that the default limit applies to all members of a given "Default Resource Allocation Project" (DRAP). Login to the CCDB to check which DRAP you belong to and to see either:

1. who belongs to your group (if you are a PI/faculty member) or
2. who's group you belong to (if you are a PDF, RA or student).

Competition for Resources for Research Groups (RRG)

Resource allocations beyond the default allocation are determined by an application and adjudication process.

Researchers requiring access to more resources than are available to a default allocation must submit a proposal to Compute Canada's Resource Allocation Committee. The Call for Proposals for Resources for Research Groups (RRG) is posted on the Compute Canada site each fall, with awarded allocations running 1 Jan to 31 Dec of every year.

All SciNet PIs will receive email notification when RRG applications are due. Proposals with details about the scientific and technical aspects, are to be submitted via the Compute Canada website: https://ccdb.computecanada.ca.