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**Resource Provider: Marty Kandes

**Resource Provider: Marty Kandes

Owned by Christine Golus
Last updated: Feb 21, 2025
7 min read

mkandes@sdsc.edu
San Diego Supercomputer Center
Timezone: Eastern?

Computational & Data Science
Research Specialist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-kandes-b53a34144/

Interview was conducted on Monday 2/3 2-4 pm


Interviewer:
Christine Golus

Via sign up form:

Please describe your experience with supercomputing
I use supercomputers often

Are you familiar with the U.S. National Science Foundation's ACCESS program?
Yes, I have used ACCESS in my research

 

Via pre-survey:

How should we address you?
Marty

Please describe your experience using advanced research computing?
20 years

If you've used ACCESS, what allocation level did you start with?
Not applicable

What have you used or hope to use the ACCESS website to do?
Better understand its organization and how to direct users to correct info

Remind us what your role is, as it applies to working with ACCESS:
Resource Provider

What is your research domain?
No answer

What courses do you teach?
No answer

What is advanced research computing is your resource particularly well suited for?
General HPC, Scientific Computing, Deep Learning, etc

Who are your stakeholders?
No answer

What one thing do you appreciate most about the program?
Organizational framework to provide a single application and allocation process for all RPs

What one thing would you change about the program?
Many processes behind the scenes are somewhat opaque or unclear to some staff at RP sites

Link to interview: video and transcript

 

Interview guide:

60-90 minute interview. Each task will take approximately 5-10 minutes. We understand you are an experienced RP, the first 10 questions are geared toward a new (non-integrated) Resource Provider.

Begin here: access-ci.org

Marty provides user support for ACCESS users who use the SDSC Expanse computer. His boss was the person who set up the resource within ACCESS. He is interested in knowing more about ACCESS so he can answer user questions.

  • Login, introductions, set up screen share, record to cloud, click transcript, at end of interview save transcript

  • Task 1: Can you find information specifically for Resource Providers?
    Went to Resources page first. Commented search can be lacking. (Interviewer: estated question) Didn’t see anything about becoming a Resource Provider on the Resources page.

    Then goes to search. Does not want to use bot. Uses search term: Resource Provider Registration. Lands on: https://operations.access-ci.org/pub/rpf

    Then navigates to ACCESS Integration Roadmaps: https://readthedocs.access-ci.org/projects/integration-roadmaps/en/latest/index.html

    Goes back to RP Forum page and eventually finds “visit our Resource Providers page”: https://access-ci.org/about/resource-providers/

    Found Road Maps.

    NOTE: “How to get started with ACCESS?” Remove question. This is mainly about getting an ID. Add log in information within “How do I integrate my resource into ACCESS?” First create an ACCESS account. Is there a next step after login? Identify themselves as an institution that would like to become an RP, open a ticket? Then you will follow and Integration Roadmap frame to …

    NOTE: Consider adding more links within the Resources page – i.e. become a Resource Provider

  • Task 2: Can you find which institutions are currently participating as ACCESS Resource Providers?
    Browsed within Resources to see active institutions.

  • Task 3: Where can you find information about your system's performance?
    First thing that comes to mind is XDMoD. Understands this term.

    Goes to SEARCH and finds XDMoD. Wonders if it is integrated into ACCESS website. Easily finds: https://metrics.access-ci.org/

    Then finds: https://xdmod.access-ci.org/ SUPREME SUMMARY might be closest thing to performance. Doesn’t see SDSC Expanse info.




  • Task 4: Where can you find Systems Status?
    Wants to go home and clicks on logo (was in Support) and lands on Support home page.

    NOTE: Make ACCESS home page icon clearer.

    Can’t find System Status tab, tries under Support, tries under Resources.

    ”Wasn’t there an Operations tab?” This user actually has OPERATIONS bookmarked. https://operations.access-ci.org/infrastructure_news_view

    Understands that the term “Operations” has to do with the Resources themselves.

    NOTE: Put Systems Status under Resources tab?

  • Task 5: Where can you find news just for Resource Providers?
    On the main News tab. Clicked on the “Operations” news category.
    Gets information in newsletters. Interviewer had to point out TAG “Resource Provider”. Understand this type of news is higher level what is going on in ACCESS.

    Then finds Training & Events that's another type of news. Reads monthly newsletter to make sure SDSC events are listed.

  • Task 6: How do resources integrate into the ACCESS system?
    His boss would have done the initial integration. I think I would open a ticket to start and then there is something about an integration roadmap.

  • Task 7: Where can you go for help?
    Go to support tab and then open a ticket.

  • Task 8: Where would you go to join the RP Slack channel?
    User knows he is on the ACCESS Community Slack. Checks Slack. “I don’t look at it much. And oh someone is asking us a question here”.

    Goes to Support to try to find where to sign up for Slack. Goes under Community. Then back to Resources. And then search. Uses search term “Slack Resource Providers”. Gets here: https://operations.access-ci.org/help Can’t find a direct link to slack. Not a clear way to get to this.

    Then finds second search result: https://operations.access-ci.org/node/771

    NOTE: Is ACCESS Community Slack the channel RP’s should be on?
    or
    RP-ACCESS Communications?

  • Task 9: How can you join the RP Forum?
    Goes to Resource tab. Scans page. Then goes to search. Search term “Resource Providers Forum” Lands here:
    https://operations.access-ci.org/pub/rpf

    NOTE: Text on this page is confusing.

    How to join the RP Forum
    Resource providers integrating an ACCESS Allocated Production Compute, Storage, or Cloud resource using ACCESS Integration Roadmaps will join the RP forum using the instructions in the Resource Provider Forum Participation task in their respective roadmap. Information for RP Forum participants.

    Then clicks on Information for RP Forum participants and lands on Confluence link: https://access-ci.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACP/pages/27066393/ACCESS+Resource+Provider+Forum
    NOTE: Looks like anyone can log on?

    Boss or other SDSC teammates attend the RP Forum. This user does not attend.

    Next clicks on ACCESS Integration Roadmap

    Finds All Roadmaps tasks in left rail:
    https://readthedocs.access-ci.org/projects/integration-roadmaps/en/latest/tasks/index.html

    https://readthedocs.access-ci.org/projects/integration-roadmaps/en/latest/tasks/Resource_Provider_Forum_Participation_v1.html

    Finds instructions:

    The PI, co-PI, or Resource Integration Coordinator submit a request to join the RP Forum to Jeremy Fischer <jeremy@iu.edu> and copy Nicole Wolter <nickel@sdsc.edu> and include:

    • Relevant NSF grant numbers

    • The organization name

    • The resource name

    • A brief description of the resource and its relevance to the community

    • The names, email addresses, and roles of the person(s) that will participate in the RP Forum and receive RP Forum emails.

    Within 2 weeks you will receive a response from the RP Forum Coordinator, and the designated RP Forum participants will start receiving RP Forum meeting invites and other communications through an RP Forum email list.



    NOTE: Is RP-ACCESS Communications slack channel the RP Forum? Fix link on Resource Provider page.


  • Task 10: If you want to get involved and volunteer with the ACCESS community as an RP, where would you go?
    Thinks of the Match program. Knows about Match Programs from XSEDE. When he thinks to “volunteer” he thinks of Match.

    Thinks he saw Match Services in Support. Finds it in Support. Information is mostly about participating in the Match program, not a clear way to volunteer for this.

    Knows he is a part of a Match affinity group. He might go to the affinity group to find volunteer opportunities must come up. Doesn’t get a lot of news from Affinity Groups. Don’t seem very active.

    Finds Affinity Groups on Support and then finds CSSN that was what it was called before.

    https://support.access-ci.org/affinity-groups/cssn

    Thinks he is a member, but does not get any updates.


  • Task 11: Do you know how to set up an ACCESS training session for your resource?
    Does not know how to do this as an RP. Goes to Events & Training. Then Goes to Resources. Then goes to operations.access-ci.org can’t find anything.

    Then searches in support “training publish” lands here: https://access-ci.org/share-your-news/
    NOTE: Update Twitter to X on this page - COMPLETED

    Not clear how to create a training event vs. publish a date or time.

  • Task 12: Do you know how to announce outages or other type of news about your resource?
    Knows to go to his bookmarked page. His boss recently gave him access to this functionality to post items. “Publish Your News”

  • Task 13: Do you know how to update resource information and resource contacts?
    Knows Cider is where resource information is registered. His boss would normally do this. He heard about people doing this, but he himself does not do this.

  • Task 14: Where can you find XDmod? Do you know how to use this tool?
    answered above

  • Task 15: Please review these pages and suggest any additions and deletions.
    NOTE: Did not know “Find info for you” had items underneath it or that it was a drop down.

    Was not clear that Find info for you was a “short cuts” page.
    Likes the one page persona pages. This is the type of page he would share with people. Finds GET STARTED on home page.
    NOTE: Change “find info just for you” to “GET STARTED”
    https://access-ci.org/about/resource-providers/
    https://access-ci.org/get-started/for-resource-providers/
    Most common question from his users is how to get started on ACCESS.
    On Expanse they can get started with a trial account with just with an email to SDSC. Then if the user wants more they send them to the ACCESS website.

    There are many ways to get supercomputing. He tells UC San Diego researchers to start with the free computing like ACCESS before getting to paid systems.


  • Task 16: Are you seeing any trends in types of allocation requests? Are there other resources your institution may want to integrate into ACCESS?

    Does not know a lot about trends in sizes of requests or types of requests.

    Expanse system is getting older. There are other resources to better service users with AI. For example, Voyager starting in May or June. This was the new system SDSC registered recently on Cider.

    Would point users to the Resources page.

    Learns about other systems (non-SDSC) on the Resources page.



  • Wrap up, thank you, at end of interview save transcript



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