Create an account

To create an account on the Huff, Teal, and Godel clusters, submit the HPRC account creation form. We will contact you at the email address provided.

All requests for Fenn accounts (research requiring compliance and “Category I” data) must be handled by contacting the VCU help desk, (804) 828-2227, and submitting a ticket for the Center for High Performance Computing (TS-Research).

Access the clusters

If you are off-campus or on certain on-campus networks, you may be required to install and use the VCU VPN client before using your ssh client.

• Connect to the VCU VPN

Access to the servers is through the Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure File Transfer (SFTP). MacOS and Linux have SSH and SFTP included as commands through their Terminal. Windows computers will need to have programs installed to do this. We recommend PuTTY for SSH and Filezilla for SFTP transfers.

• Download PuTTY for SSH on Windows
• Download FileZilla for SFTP file transfers between your computer and the servers

With an SSH client, please connect to your account on the cluster using your eID and the password you set when you requested the account.

All computation on Teal, Godel, and Fenn should be submitted via Grid Engine. Grid Engine instructions.

All computation on Huff should be submitted via slurm. Huff instructions.

Guides and resources

• Basic Linux help
  • 10 essential Linux commands
  • How to manage files from the terminal
  • The Linux Shell for the novice
• Using Grid Engine at HPRC
• Using Slurm at HPRC
  • Slurm hints for large memory and non-threaded jobs
• Using Modules at HPRC
• Using Perl at HPRC
• Using Python at HPRC
• Advanced - user customized installs with Linuxbrew

Getting help and submitting a ticket

You may contact HPRC in a number of ways. One of the best is to submit a ticket via the VCU Help Desk.

You may do this by logging in to the VCU Ticket System. These tickets are logged and available to all HPRC staff without delay.

After you have logged in:

1. Select the new IT support ticket button
2. Select the research button
3. Select the High Performance Computing button
4. Select the CHiPC support and resources button
5. Select the request support option (only option)
6. Fill out the ticket details form
   1. Include your VCU email in the alt email box
   2. In the description box, please be as descriptive as possible about your issue, what cluster you’re working on, and what software/compilers you use.
   3. In the attachment, include any screen shots or submission scripts useful for troubleshooting the issue.
7. Click submit and we’ll respond as soon as we can

Additionally, you can contact the HPRC director regarding your issue so that it may be routed to the appropriate staff member.