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Software Installation for Researchers at USC
I recently attended the ACI-REF Virtual Residency 2016 workshop where we discussed, among other things, how and when different computing centers should install software for their researchers. The conversation was surprisingly lively because installing software is a topic that touches on many regimes of facilitation. Since every institution has its own perspective, I thought it…
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When a lot of little things add up to a lot of time; HTCondor to the rescue
A student sits at his desk, fretting. The clock is ticking, the deadline is looming, and the giant mound of data he desperately needs processed remains, stubbornly and unabashedly, unaltered. He’s tried many things, but it’s only him and his workstation against the monstrosity of information he’s attempting to subdue. His PC, by itself, is…
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A short note on the Python Virtual Environment
In this post we will discuss the concept of a Virtual Environment in Python. We will discuss the following topics: What is a Virtual Environment (VE) Setting up a VE Activation of a VE Installation of packages within the VE Deactivation of a VE Removal of a VE What is a virtual environment? A Python…
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The Agave Platform
A common task for ACI facilitators is assisting researchers with deploying or getting their software packages to run on the local or national resources and working with the job scheduler. For the most part the reality of using HPC and HTC resources requires getting into the command line, which many new graduate students and post-docs…
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On Explaining Facilitation
There are times in life that it’s OK when you’re not sure what to say. To feel clueless (somewhat), and feel comfort in the newness of realized ignorance. To savor the moment. To look at your prior frame of reference, challenge your own assumptions, and then build a response from knowledge and experience that you…
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Learning the Facilitation Ropes
My name is Cesar Sul and I’m a relatively new ACI-REF at USC’s Center for High-Performance Computing. My introduction to facilitation began when one of our researchers started using our login nodes to run their research software. This was an excellent first case because it helped me learn about the rules and layout of our…
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Facilitation principles
Office hours were busy last week. In the space of 1.5 hours, I covered script troubleshooting, managing disk space and quota, conceptualizing how to modify an R script for high-throughput computing, and advising a new workflow for a Psychology project. All that to say, I have learned a LOT since starting in my role as…
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Building a two hour workshop
Hello, My name is Erin Shaw and I have been serving as an ACI-REF for almost three months at USC’s Center for High-Performance Computing (HPC). I have been focusing on outreach and as a result we will be collaborating with a group that provides an HPC service to the medical research community on USC’s health sciences…