Welcome to the HPC Help Desk video series.
This presentation will introduce you
to the HPCMP Advance Reservation Service.
It will describe how the ARS can help
you reserve time on program resources
and will take you step-by-step
through the reservation process.
In the link
to supplemental materials
accompanying this video.
you will find a Job Aid
that includes all the URLs.
phone numbers
and email contacts
referenced in this presentation.
When you see this graphic
and hear this sound.
it means the information is contained
in the accompanying Job Aid.
The state-of-the-art resources
of the HPCMP offer DOD researchers
world-class tools to extend their work
in new and innovative directions.
However. computing time on these systems
is limited.
and users often
find it difficult to predict
when their jobs might run.
Batch job schedulers are designed
to keep HPC systems
running at high capacity
by slotting jobs
for their own convenience. not the users.
A job may be delayed
until the system can be configured
to fit the job in with as
many other jobs as possible.
The Advance Reservation Service. or ARS.
was created to enable users
to run jobs that need to run
in a specific time slot.
10 to 15% of a system's
resources are set aside
for advanced reservation.
ARS enables users to coordinate their jobs
to coincide
with other events or resources
within their research.
ARS provides
a web-based interface
to batch schedulers on allocated systems.
This allows users to easily reserve
resources for future usage
at specific times for specific durations.
Here are some of the most important
features of ARS.
A single user
can reserve up to 50% of ARS resources
set aside on a system;
Reservations must be made
at least 96 hours in advance;
Users can make reservations up
to three months
prior to the requested time;
A single reservation
cannot be more than 168 hours in length;
A single user can have up
to four reservations active
at any time on a specific system;
Multiple jobs can be run
within one reservation;
A user can request
a reservation that will be
shared by multiple users.
Users can also
use ARS to perform a job slot
search in which the user provides
a set of job slot requirements
and ARS returns possible
start dates and times.
view an online reservation.
calendar or cancel a reservation.
In order to generate reservations.
users are required to have a valid portal
to the Information Environment
or pIE account.
have local authorization
from the DSRC hosting the system
you want to use.
and be a member of a project
that still has remaining allocation hours.
To request an advance reservation.
navigate your browser to the URL
shown here.
ARS uses the OpenID Connect service
to authenticate users.
After reading
and accepting the DoD banner.
The user can select either
the Common Access Card or CAC.
or Yubikey option.
Upon successful
authentication.
the user will be presented
with a list of eligible systems.
If all requirements are not met.
the system's menu
will not be presented as an option.
even if pIE shows
a user assigned to a system.
The user may not be able to generate
reservations on that system
due to DSRC
or remaining allocation restrictions.
If the selected computer
is unavailable
for any reason.
the user will be notified immediately
after selection
and another system can then be selected.
Once a system is selected.
a calendar is presented
for the current month.
A red node availability
indicator appears below
each date.
displaying the number of nodes
currently available for each day.
We will describe the advanced features
of this calendar later in
this video presentation.
Below the calendar is a
choice to allow additional users
on the same project
to share the reservation;
A selection menu listing
projects with remaining allocation
on the selected host;
The number of nodes requested;
The start date and time
for the reservation;
The end date and time;
A choice
between interactive or batch reservations;
and a list of available licensed software.
each with a license count field.
For some systems. users
can select different types
of nodes to reserve.
Depending on the system.
you may have a dropdown menu
to display your options.
All fields except software
license fields are required
to request a reservation.
If the multiple users option is selected.
the user will be forwarded
to a multiple user selection form.
Eligible users on the same project
will be shown on the form.
There is no direct link
between ARS
and the job scheduling software
on the HPC system.
It is possible for a reserved node
to fail
between the time
the reservation is created
and the time the reservation begins.
If this happens.
the scheduling software
will not run a job on a broken node.
The user is confronted
with a job that won't run
despite ARS reporting that all is well.
It is recommended
you request
at least two more nodes than you need.
The increased numbers
should be a multiple of two.
All reserved
nodes will be charged
to your project's allocation.
but it acts as a kind of job insurance.
Upon submission of the request.
the data is validated
against existing reservations
on the selected system
and then submitted
to the requested computer.
If software licenses are requested.
they are also checked for availability.
If requested licenses
are not available at the specified time.
the reservation will not be completed
and the user will be notified.
Upon successful completion
of the reservation request.
a confirmation page is presented.
If all information is correct.
click on Commit
Reservation to finalize it.
Additionally. an email will be sent
notifying the user of all pertinent data
concerning the reservation.
Emails will also be sent two days prior
and again 2 hours
before the reservation starts.
If for any reason
your reservation cannot be confirmed.
you will receive a “Reservation Request
Unsuccessful” notification.
You may need to perform a job slot
search to find a slot
that meets your jobs requirements.
We will cover
job slots
searches later in this presentation.
The project will be billed
in CPU hours once
it reaches its end time.
All CPU hours. whether for actual jobs
run or for idle
time. will be billed to the project
you specified during
the creation of the reservation.
If you are running jobs
from other projects at the same time
that are not part of your reservation.
they will be billed
to their own project codes.
It is the user's responsibility
to make use of the reserved nodes.
The user must log on
to the selected system
and submit a job to the reservation.
specifically by using the queue name
generated by the system's job scheduler.
This queue name will be contained
in your confirmation email
at the time of the reservation creation.
Default limits on reservations are:
a single user
cannot use
more than 50% of resources
set aside for ARS at one time;
A single reservation
cannot be more than 168 hours in length;
The user's project allocation
will be checked at reservation creation
time for validity;
Reservations must be made
at least 96 hours
prior to reservation commencement;
Reservations must be deleted
at least 8 hours prior
to their commencement.
otherwise the user
and/or project will be billed
for the reservation;
A single user can have up to
four reservations active
at any time on a specific system.
Reservations can be canceled
by selecting the Cancel Reservation
menu on the left.
Specific reservations can be canceled
by checking the box
associated with the reservation
and then clicking on the Cancel
Reservations button.
All reservations
checked will be canceled
at the remote system
and users
will not be charged for the reservation
if it is canceled at least 8 hours
before the reservation start time.
Please note that once
your reservation starts.
you cannot cancel it
for any partial refunds.
Upon successful cancellation.
the user will see a cancellation
confirmation screen and will be
sent an email with the details.
The reservation calendar
displayed from the home page
shows the number of nodes
available for an entire day.
For example.
if the total number of nodes
available for reservation is 128
and 82 have already been reserved.
the red nodes available
indicator will read 46.
Clicking on the nodes available
indicator will bring up
the daily detail screen.
which shows nodes available by the hour.
Clicking once again on the red
indicator link will display
which users
have reservations for the day.
The menu
on the left side of the screen links
to the legacy version of the calendar.
which displays
the reservation information
in a more condensed format.
This version also has links to next
and previous months.
The next available time
slots can be displayed
by clicking on the Job Slot
Search menu button.
The user provides the number of nodes.
walltime. project and other
desired reservation
parameters. then clicks on the Search
For Job Slots button under the table.
A choice of the next
four available slots
will be offered for selection.
Clicking the Find More Slots
radio button
and then clicking Select Job
Slot will display
the next four slots after that.
If you want to reserve a particular slot.
click on its radio button
and then Select Job Slot.
A confirmation screen will be displayed.
Clicking on Commit Reservation
will finalize your selection.
A reserved node screen
will show your reservation details
and an email will be sent
with the same information.
Thank you for taking the time
to view this instructional video.
If you have any questions
or experience
any problems.
please contact the HPC Help Desk.
The phone numbers.
email address
and HPC Help Desk Service Portal
URL information are shown here
and can also be found
on the accompanying Job Aid.