ephicks@fastmail.net
Epsilon Delta Labs
Timezone: Central U.S.
Campus Champion
Research Collaboration between Science + Art
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-hicks-b3038b32a/
Interview was conducted on Monday 2/3 2-4 pm
Interviewers:
Christine Golus, Rebecca Eveland
Via sign up form:
How should we address you?
Eliza
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've used ACCESS in my research
Via pre-survey:
Please describe your experience using advanced research computing?
I am an experienced user (10+ years of experience after my PhD). I use ACCESS resources Stampede2/3, Ranch, and Expanse. I run large fluid dynamics simulations using an open source code (Nek5000) and visualization jobs using VisIt.
If you've used ACCESS, what allocation level did you start with?
Discover
What have you used or hope to use the ACCESS website to do?
Find information about computing resources, apply for resources, find out about allocation policies, and manage my account and allocations.
Remind us what your role is, as it applies to working with ACCESS:
Researcher
What is your research domain?
fluid dynamics
What courses do you teach?
No answer
What is advanced research computing is your resource particularly well suited for?
No answer
Who are your stakeholders?
No answer
What one thing do you appreciate most about the program?
supercomputer information pages
What one thing would you change about the program?
It would always work on my iPad.
Link to interview: video and transcript
Interview guide:
60–90 minute interview. Each task will take approximately 5-10 minutes.
Login, introductions, set up screen share, record to cloud, click transcript, at end of interview save transcript
We ask that you “talk aloud” as you are completing your task – telling us what you are thinking about and looking for as you complete your task. Begin here:
https://access-ci.org/
Task 1: Where would you go to find out what type of research is being conducted using ACCESS? Is your institution’s area of research activity represented on the ACCESS website?
Went to News to find research. Then went to Site map. Eliza noted that she navigates at the top of the page and then will scroll down to the very bottom to find what she needs. She scrolled through and found a news stories onTask 2: Where can you find information specifically targeted for you?
Went to Get Started For ResearchersTask 3: Are you eligible to use ACCESS? Where can you find eligibility requirements?
Skipped to Allocations and then Eligibility because she was experienced. EligibilityTask 4: Find information about the cost to use ACCESS.
No cost on Allocations, difficulty getting home, remembered that it was free.Task 5: What is an ACCESS resource? Where can you find the type of resources that are available through ACCESS? How would you select an ACCESS resource?
Expanse, went to user guide (off site on SDSC), what does it have, and what is its ques like. Maxium number of cores what is the biggest and smallest jobs I can do. Then technical info how much resource sharing.
Summary was important. Confusion with the phrase test-bed
What was important: CPU computer, Large Memory
Petaflops uncertain what that is. Could have a better summary of the computer. CPU was importatn
What is missing? Queue information is important.
How to distinguish between
Make an account too early.
Results for Resource Advisor goes to operationsTask 6: What is an allocation? What types of allocation projects can you apply for? How do they differ from one another?
Table was very clear.
How to upgrade between projects? Upgrading
How to manage Project Upgrade? needs to be cleared up.Task 7: Where would you go to find the definition of an unfamiliar term or phrase used in ACCESS?
Search the site.
GlossaryTask 8: Where can you go for help to use the ACCESS system? Where can you go to open a help ticket?
Starts to go to resource to find user guide, then goes toTask 9: If you want to get involved and volunteer with the ACCESS community where would you go?
Signed up for an Affinity Group, volunteer…
Found Community section.Task 10: What’s the first step to get started using ACCESS?
Task 11: Where can you find information about citing ACCESS in your publications?
Task 12: Where do you go to find Systems Status?
Really reliable.
More experienced user questions:
Task 13: Do you know what the XDMod tool is used for and how to find it?
Complicated
Checking on your projects performance?Task 14: Can you find what resources are running PyTorch?
Software or toolsTask 15: Can you find a resource that runs ACCESS On-Demand?
Task 16: Can you find an Affinity Group for FABRIC users?
Task 17: Where can you go for training to use ANVIL?
Task 18: Can you find how to get started with ACCESS MATCH services to help you with your research project?
Match services.
Dating
Emailed Matched.Task 19: Please review this page and suggest any additions or deletions.
Task 20: How did you determine if the available ACCESS resources can support your research? Are you planning to use ACCESS resources again?
First thing for a resource.
What software or tools would I use?
Can I do this on my local computer?
Then I want to use ACCESS?
What type of jobs would I run large or small? What size of job would
lots of small parallel jobs
Job on number of core
How would I do this thing on a supercomputer? and the GPUsWrap up, thank you, at end of interview save transcript