Requesting Access to ARCHIE-WeSt
Access to ARCHIE-WeSt is granted on a project by project basis. In other words, the Principal Investigator (PI) of a project must apply for access for themselves (if required) and the users involved in the project.
The project application will be assessed by the ARCHIE-WeSt Management Group. Once a project is accepted, the associated user accounts are created and users are being invited for training. Users access the system using their DS username and password and will only be granted access after they have attended a training session.
The project will be activated on the condition that:
- users have attended a training session
- the appropriate fees have been paid
The Support Officer will contact the Principal Investigator of the project to advise on how to proceed with payment of the fees (if applicable) and any other issues.
Except in the case of Industry Users, Principal Investigators must hold an Academic or Research post while the user(s) of the project needs to be at post-graduate level or above.
Tip
Access on a project basis. Principal Investigators must apply for access for all users involved in their project.
Academic Project Access
Evaluation Project Application
Academic Evaluation Project access enables users to test ARCHIE-WeSt in order to evaluate if it will meet the needs of the project. It also enables users to estimate the amount of core-hours to request for a full academic project application. This is free of charge and there is no obligation to continue the project after consuming the default allocation of 1,000 core hours.
Testing projects run under high priority.
In well justified cases, ARCHIE-WeSt Team might increase a testing allocation, for example when a computationally expensive software needs to be used. Multiple applications from the same Investigator are nor acceptable.
To apply for Academic Evaluation Project access please complete the online form: https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-academia/apply/evaluation-projects
Academic Project Application
An Academic Project is a standard project running on ARCHIE-WeSt. The Principal Investigator (PI) is required to complete the appropriate online form, including an estimate of the require amount of core-hours. Access can either be based on:
- High priority acess: charged at 0.02 GBP per core-hour for Strathclyde Academics and 0.03 GBP (inc. VAT) for all other Academics
- Standard priority access: a subscription fee of 500 GBP per user per year will be required
There are no cash refunds for unused core hours, therefore a carefull estimation of the request is desired. If the core hour request is underestimated the project might be extended (see below).
To apply for an Academic Project please complete the online form: https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-academia/apply/archie-application-form
Standard Priority Subscription Based Access
This access route is designed mainly for PhD or any other project where the external funding is not obtainable. It might also be used to produce preleminary data required for a grant application.
PI's are encouraged not to rely on subscription based access and should endeavour to incorporate priority access fees in any grant application.
The subscription fee covers support and training costs. It is not transferable to other users and is valid for 1 year.
Info
PI's should endeavour to incorporate priority access fees in any grant application
Academic Project Extension
If a project is close to consuming all of its core-hour allocation, if required, the PI should apply to extend the project and request additional core-hours.
A report of the progress of project will be required, along with a justification of the additional resources requested. The PI will be advised how to proceed with the payment (if applicable) once the extension is accepted.
To extend any of the Academic Project please complete the online form : https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-academia/apply/academic-project-extension
Undergraduate Student Access
University of Strathclyde undergraduate students can use the part of the facility called wee-archie which is dedicated for teaching and training. To apply for an account the supervisor must complete the online form https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-academia/apply/undergraduate-students
The ARCHIE-WeSt team is not able provide support for undergraduate students. Support and training is the responsibility of the Supervisor. We recommend that the Supervisor employs the support of a Postgraduate Demonstrator with HPC experience, possibly with additional support from Departmental IT staff.
Tip
We recommend that Postgraduate Demonstrators with HPC experience be used to support undergraduate students.
Industry Access
Access to ARCHIE-WeSt is available to members of Industry. All Industrial Projects will run under high priority, what means that the job queuing time will be minimised as much as possible within the physical limitations of the facility.
The estimated core hour allocation per Industrial Project depends on the amount of core-hours purchased. No cash refunds for non-used allocation are possible. The price per core hour is 0.05 GBP (exc. VAT).
Initial Training and Support will be provided by the ARCHIE-WeSt Team basing on an accepted project application.
To apply for an Industrial Project please complete the online form: https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-industry/apply/project-application-form
Evaluation Project Application
Industrial Evaluation Project access is designed to be used for evaluation of the total core-hour request for an Industrial Project. This is free of charge and there is no obligation to continue the project after consuming the default allocation of 1,000 core hours.
Evaluation Projects runs under high priority.
In well justified cases, ARCHIE-WeSt Team might increase an evaluation core-hour allocation, for example when a computationally expensive software requires to be used. Multiple applications from the same Investigator are not acceptable.
To apply for Industrial Evaluation Project please complete the online form: https://www.archie-west.ac.uk/for-industry/apply/evaluation-project-for-industrial-users
Project Extension Form
Coming soon.