APPLYING FOR COMPUTING RESOURCES AT NCAR
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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• Introduction
• Eligibility
• Request for Computing Resources Form
• Completing the Form, Request for Computing Resources
• Allocation Procedures
• The Advisory Panel - Panel Deadline Dates
• Extension Requests - Additional GAUs for Existing Projects
• Summary

1. INTRODUCTION

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) under contract with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The charge of NCAR's Computational & Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) is twofold: to provide computing support for NCAR research and to extend the computing resources for university scientists beyond what would otherwise be available. This document describes the policies and procedures for allocating NCAR's computing resources in support of atmospheric and related sciences by university scientists.

Use of CISL computing resources is divided into three main categories:

1. NCAR

Use in support of research by NCAR scientists. Computing resources for NCAR divisions are allocated by the Director of NCAR and resources for NCAR projects are allocated by the appropriate division director.

2. Joint University-NCAR

Use in support of joint research by university and NCAR scientists. Resources for joint projects are allocated by the Director of NCAR from a fund set aside for that purpose.

3. University

Use in support of research in atmospheric and related sciences by university scientists and graduate students. The emphasis is toward extensive projects beyond the scope of university computing centers.

Allocations are made in such a way as to assign approximately 45% of CISL's available resources to university atmospheric scientists, 45% to NCAR atmospheric scientists, and 10% to joint NCAR-university projects in atmospheric science

2. ELIGIBILITY

This section describes the conditions under which applicants are eligible to apply for NCAR computing resources.

1. Affiliation

A prime mission of CISL is to support university atmospheric and related science. Eligibility has, however, been extended to include certain other educational institutions and non-profit research organizations. Normally, CISL does not support research groups in federal agencies, but may provide computing resources on a cost-recovery basis.

2. Sponsorship
1. NSF Grants - Researchers can apply for NCAR computing time under an associated NSF grant as long as their proposed computing lies appropriately within the scope of the grant. NSF is kept informed to insure appropriate use of the grant. NSF associated projects will not be billed for NCAR computing resources.
   
2. Resources for Unsponsored Graduate Students  - A one-time NCAR computing grant of up to 1000 General Accounting Units (GAUs) is available to qualifying graduate students  This is to allow students access to modeling with a supercomputer in support of their Ph.D. research. Requirements for this grant are:
   
   *The graduate students must work in the science areas sponsored by NSF
   *Their work does not lie within the scope of an associated NSF grant and
   *They do not have funding to pay for computer time.
   
   Note: Graduate student requests will be processed once Database Services Team ( dbst@ucar.edu ) receives an email from the department head or advisor commenting on the importance and quality of the proposed research and affirming that funds are not available to support the work. As with all outside requests for NCAR computing resources, these will be subject to review.
   
3. Resources for Unsponsored Postdocs and New Faculty  - An allocation of 3000 GAUs for postdocs and new faculty, defined as having received their PhD within 5 years. This is to provide "seed" grants in support of work leading to funded and sponsored research. Requirements for this grant are:
   
   *The postdocs and new faculty must work in the science areas sponsored by NSF
   *Their work does not lie within the scope of an associated NSF grant and
   *They do not have funding to pay for computer time.
   
3. Areas of Interest

Projects supported by CISL usually fall within the following areas of interest:

AREA - CODE DESCRIPTION


Aerosol physics Astrophysics Planetary boundary layer Atmospheric chemistry Climate Data processing Dynamic meteorology Economic and societal impact studies General circulation Geophysical fluid dynamics Mesoscale and regional-scale models Numerical methods Objective analysis and diagnostic studies Oceanography Radar meteorology Atmospheric radiative process

Satellite meteorology Severe storm and cloud physics Solar interplanetary medium Solar physics Surface conditions, hydrology Tropical meteorology Turbulence Upper atmosphere dynamics and aeronomy Wave processes Numerical weather prediction Other Statistical meteorology Magnetohydrodynamics and plasma physics Physics of planetary atmospheres Solar-terrestrial relations

3. REQUEST FOR COMPUTING SERVICES FORM

To request computing resources, please complete the Request for Computing Resources Form and submit it according to the instructions contained on the form.

4. COMPLETING THE FORM, REQUEST FOR COMPUTING SERVICES

The following information is provided to assist you in completing the Request For Computing Resources form.

1. Section A, Identification

Note: The name you supply as the "Requesting Scientist" is also referred to as the lead user of the project.

In completing this section, please make sure an applicable project title is given for the project, and ONE area of interest code is noted. The area of interest codes are listed in this document at Section 2C, Areas of Interest.

2. Section B, Research Sponsor

Unsponsored graduate students, postdocs and new faculty who are applying for the one-time NCAR computing grant may skip this section. All other applicants are required to complete this section as fully as possible.

3. Section C, Project Requirements

All charges for use of CISL's computing systems are calculated in General Accounting Units (GAUs). This not only includes the compute servers (e.g., IBM, SGI, etc.) but all the Mass Storage System (MSS) and 1-800 lines. Detailed algorithms and charging factors are given in the document Charges for CISL Computing Resources.

Estimating GAUs - Detailed estimates of GAUs requirements can be obtained utilizing the algorithms and formulas given in the charging document above. An indication of how computing requirements are estimated MUST be included in the proposal. This is because reviewers of NCAR computing request are asked to evaluate whether the resources sought are justified and will be used efficiently (see Section 4).

It is the policy of CISL to not refund computer resources lost through common human error and hardware failures. Estimated computing needs should allow for such mishaps. However, if there is clear evidence of CISL responsibility, projects subject to billable charges will not be billed for lost resources.

All users are encouraged to periodically save their intermediate results so that a machine failure does not result in the loss of large amounts of computer time. Please refer to the information at the following web sites:

IBM Restart Documentation


4. Section D, Programmers
   
   Applicants are automatically added as programmers unless otherwise requested. However, this section should be completed for any additional programmers or assistants who will be working on the project.
   
5. Section E, Proposal Summary

   In the Proposal Summary Field, please provide a self-contained proposal describing your project. For large requests (over 4000 GAUs for the life of the NSF grant) this should be the equivalent of 4-5 typewritten pages, excluding figures and publications.. It is important to give sufficient information for the realistic evaluation of the problem.

   The relationship of the proposed work to atmospheric science and related geosciences should be indicated.

   The description of the numerical approach should be sufficiently detailed for reviewers to confirm the estimate of machine time required. For example, in the solution of a system of time-dependent partial differential equations, the descriptions should include the finite difference approximations, and the methods proposed for integration in time and space. An estimate of the number of grid points and the number of parameters to be retained at each time step should also be given.

   Details on how computing requirements are estimated MUST be included in the proposal summary. This is because reviewers of NCAR computing requests are asked to evaluate whether the resources sought are justified and will be used efficiently.

Please:

1. Include the number of GAUs required per run. This should be substantiated with benchmarks on an IBM Power3 or Power4 system. You may request an account to obtain this information. To request an account for this purpose, please complete the Request for Computing Resources Form and submit it according to the instructions contained on the form.
2. Include the CPU time required per run.
3. Include the node-reserved time per run defined as number of nodes * number of processors per node * wall clock time. Please specify each variable.
4. Include memory requirements.
5. State the number of runs required for each numerical experiment. State why this number of runs is needed and not fewer. Without this information the Panel may reduce or deny your computing request.
6. Include special requirements, such as large memory, large disk space, storage needs, special software, or long run times without restarting.
7. Include evidence that your program code is well optimized and operates efficiently and responsibly in an environment where resources are shared and are at a premium. Include documentation on program code performance (e.g., timings, performance monitoring tools). The PI is responsible for convincing the reviewers of optimized code performance.

5.  TYPES OF PROJECTS:    

Small data accounts:

Small Data Access accounts are provided for faculty and research staff at U.S. universities and at U.S. non-profit research organizations at no charge. Since reading data from the Mass Storage System (MSS) generates GAU usage an application is necessary. Ten GAUs are sufficient to meet the needs of most researchers. These accounts are setup for a period of three months to three years, but may be renewed. Send email to dbst@ucar.edu and state the additional time period needed.

Small requests:

Requests for 2000 GAUs or less are deemed "small" and will receive an internal CISL review.  (Graduate Students may be allocated up to 1000 GAUs, PostDocs and new faculty may be allocated up to 3000 GAUs.) Projects with an NSF award may request an extension of up to 2000 additional GAUs before having to be reviewed by the CISL HPC Advisory Panel (CHAP). If necessary, opinions from experts in the field of study may also be solicited. Small requests will be handled expeditiously if sufficient information is provided in the proposal summary of the electronic request form. Otherwise approval will be delayed until additional information is provided

           Large requests:

NSF approved requests for more than 4000 GAUs are deemed "large" and require review by the CHAP. Large requests can receive an advance of up to 2000 GAUs per project prior to the Panel meetings to avoid time delays. Requests must be adequately documented for Panel review and be equivalent to four to five typewritten pages. The electronic applications should be in final form six weeks before a Panel meeting.

6. THE CISL HPC ADVISORY PANEL (CHAP)

        NSF approved large requests, more than 4000 GAUs, are reviewed by the CISL HPC Advisory Panel (CHAP).

7. EXTENSION REQUESTS - Need additional GAUs for an existing project

A user may request additional computer resources to complete a project. To request an extension for computing services, send an e-mail to alloc@ucar.edu. 1) State how many additional GAUs are needed; 2) Include 4 to 5 sentences which justify the additional GAUs requested; 3) If additional programmers need to be added to the project, state their name, e-mail address, and phone number including area code. 4) State names and e-mail addresses of any programmers who should be removed from the project. Small extensions for up to 50% of the original request will usually be approved without further review. Larger extensions are reviewed in the same way as the original request. An extension of more than 2000 GAUs or an extension which brings the total resources for a project to over 4000 GAUs will be reviewed by the CISL HPC Advisory Panel (CHAP). To avoid delays, it is advisable to ask for sufficient resources in the initial request.

8. SUMMARY

        In this final section, the steps involved when applying for computer time are summarized.

• If a NSF approved request is for a total of more than 4000 GAUs, the applicant should check the dates and deadlines of the next CISL HPC Advisory Panel (CHAP) meeting so that electronic applications can be processed in time for review at this meeting.
• The applicant should confirm that the project is eligible for NCAR support. (See Section 2 on eligibility.)
• The request form should be completed in sufficient detail for peer review to be possible. Current information concerning sponsorship is needed. The acknowledgment of the principal investigator is required. An unsponsored graduate student must also obtain the signature of his or her advisor on the Request for Computing Resources form as well as a letter commenting on the importance and quality of the proposed research and affirming that funds are not available to support the work (see Section 2B, 3).
• Submit the application, send supporting materials to:

Ginger Caldwell
NCAR - CISL
1850 Table Mesa Drive
Boulder, CO 80305

E-mail Address: alloc@ucar.edu
Telephone No.: (303) 497-1229
Fax No.: (303) 497-1804

• On receipt of the application, CISL will notify the applicant of an estimated time for processing and whether or not CHAP review will be necessary.
• When a project is approved, the principal investigator, the applicant, sponsor, and institution (if a UCAR member) are informed; information about CISL is provided; and project numbers and user identifiers are assigned.
• If a project is rejected, the Director of CISL will inform the applicant and state the reasons for the decision.
• Upon completion of a project, users of CISL are asked to answer questions related to their work at NCAR. A thorough response to the Request for Project Completion Report will help CISL to improve its services, and is required before new, additional projects are approved.
• Users of CISL are requested to acknowledge NCAR's computing support in any publications which result from their work. The acknowledgment should mention that the National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The following form (or appropriate modification) can be used:

"Acknowledgment is made to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, for the computing time used in this research."

CISL welcomes copies of these publications since they provide information on the use of CISL resources.

Updated Tuesday, April 11, 2006 by M. Smart