TACC Overview

What is TACC?

Texas Advanced Computing Center provides:

• High performance computing systems- large clusters, capable of running highly parallel computation and advanced visualization.

• Large data storage and data archival capabilities.

• Software packages already installed on the clusters.

To find documentation/training on TACC systems: User guides, training courses offered by TACC and BCG.

Stuck with TACC specific errors or need a specific tool installed on TACC? Submit a ticket to TACC consulting.  

What is a cluster?

Cluster systems are made up of multiple computers, connected together to act as one. Each computer is catwlled a node in the cluster and can have multiple processors (called cores).  Users log in to the cluster through a limited number of login/head nodes and submit jobs to the many compute nodes.  These systems are inherently parallel and can be greatly beneficial when your jobs are also parallelized.

TACC's Cluster Systems

LONESTAR6:                                               

• Reserved for UT faculty, staff and students

• 560 nodes (computers) with 128 cores per node

• 71, 680 cores (processors)

• 84 GPU nodes with 128 cores per node (for more computationally intensive tasks)

• 256 GB RAM

• Max run time:  48 hours 

• USE: For running large, parallel computation jobs.
  
  
  

STAMPEDE3:

Open

• 1060 SKX nodes (computers) with 48 cores (processors) per node, 560 SPR nodes (computers) with 112 cores (processors) per node, 224 ICX nodes (computers) with 80 cores per node

• GPU nodes: 20 PVC nodes with 96 cores per node, 24 H100 GPU nodes with 96 cores per node 

• Max run time: 48 hours (without approval), 120 hours (with approval)

• USE: For running large, parallel computation jobs

Frontera:

• Fastest academic supercomputer in the country

• https://tacc.utexas.edu/systems/frontera/

• USE: For running large, parallel computation jobs (particularly simulations and AI related tasks)

TACC's Storage Systems

CORRAL:

• Replicated storage

• 6 Petabytes of storage

• Accessible on lonestar and stampede systems

• $250 per terabyte (First 5 terabytes free for UT users)

• USE: Backup data, analysis results.
  
  
  

RANCH:

• Tape storage

• Archival storage- not replicated or backed up.

• 60 Petabytes of storage

• Immediate access can be difficult.

• USE: Long term archival of data. One of two copies.

Now on to how to use the lonestar6 cluster...