Getting Started

Welcome to UF Research Computing! This page is intended to help new clients getting started on HiPerGator use.

Note that new users are highly encouraged to take the New User Training course to familiarize themselves with using a supercomputer for research, save time, and avoid many beginner mistakes.

From Zero to HiPerGator

Initial Consult

If a face-to-face discussion about the group's needs is needed you can schedule an appointment to meet with one of the UF Research Computing Facilitators face-to-face or virtually, or submit a support request to start the conversation.

For the initial interview we recommend prospective users to be ready to answer questions such as:

• Does the data fall under FERPA, HIPAA, or another restricted classification?
• Explain in simple words what your research is about.
• What file types will be processed initially?
  • Input files, average size of individual files, total amount of data in Gb/Tb, etc.
• What software or pipeline is needed to process the files?

Define success for you:

• What is the expected output?
  • Expected results, output file types and individual file size, amount of data produced after processing in Gb/Tb.
• Do you have any estimations on compute needs?
• Are you or will you be working with external collaborators?

HiPerGator Accounts

Sponsor Username and Group Creation

The group's sponsor has to be the first person to request a HiPerGator account indicating that they are a new sponsor. In the process we will create their sponsored group.

User Account Creation

Group members will be able to submit HiPerGator account requests indicating their PI as the sponsor. Once approved, their HPG Linux accounts will be created.

Joining a Group

Once their HPG username is created users must submit a request to be added to a sponsor's group. Once the sponsor or an assigned manager replies to the request with approval, the user is added to the requested group. Accounts can only be added to groups with active resource allocations (see below for details).

Request to be added to a group:

• Include the following in the Summary line: "Add [username] to [groupname] group".
• Include the reason in the request's description.
• If possible, add your sponsor's email to the ticket's CC list.

Trial Allocation

We recommend that the group's sponsor request a free trial allocation for storage and computational resources to get the group started on HiPerGator. Group members can then use HiPerGator for the 3 month duration of the trial allocation to figure out what resources and applications they really need.

Purchasing Resources

After or while the group uses a trial allocation to determine the computational and storage resources it needs the group's sponsor can submit a purchase request for hardware (5-years) or services (3-months to longer) to invest into the resources to cover the group's HiPerGator use.

Some groups may have access to shared departmental allocations. In this case, instead of purchasing resources, group members can request to be added to the departmental group to gain access to the shared resources.

Some examples of departments with shared allocations include the Genetics Institute, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Statistics Department, Biostatistics Department, Center for Compressible Multiphase Turbulence (CCMT), Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research Program (CAMCTRP), Center for Molecular Magnetic Quantum Materials, Physics Department, and Plant Pathology Department. In addition, several research groups working on collaborative projects have shared allocations accessible to members of those projects.

At this point a group is established on HiPerGator and can continue their computational work. See below for more details on the basic use.

Using HiPerGator

To use HiPerGator or HiPerGator-AI you must have basic understanding the following concepts:

• Use the various HPG Interfaces to connect to the system.
• See HPG Computation for an overview of running analyses on HiPerGator.
• Read HPG Scheduling for an overview of managing resources in jobs.
• Learn how to manage data on the filesystems in Storage and how to transfer it in or out in HPG Data Management.

Click on the buttons below to explore.

Getting help

If you are having problems using the UFRC system, try our resources at Help or let our staff know by submitting a support request.