MSI Users Bulletin - December 2024

1. New Nodes on Agate: We are adding additional nodes providing AMD Genoa CPUs and Nvidia H100 GPUs to the Agate cluster. They are expected to be available in early 2025. More information will be sent out when the nodes are ready for use.

2. Research Computing Exhibition: Save the date! The annual Research Computing Exhibition will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025. As in past years, there will be a poster competition. More information will be sent out after the beginning of the Spring semester.

3. LMVL Retirement: The LMVL/LCSE space has provided a space for high-resolution and immersive visualization to the University community for the past 22 years. The room will undergo construction in Spring 2025 and be re-opened in the summer as a new space developed in collaboration with the CSE. More details to come! The last day the LMVL will be available is December 20.

4. Slurm Job Completion Summary: Users may now notice that the email sent out when a job completes includes additional information such as CPU and Memory efficiency. You can use these values to determine whether the job would benefit from requesting fewer resources, e.g., less walltime, memory, or CPU, without impacting performance. The main benefit to right-sizing your job is that the job scheduler will likely start it sooner. Shorter jobs will also have a smaller impact on the fairshare value of the group.

5. Molecular Operating Environment (MOE): Due to a change in the licensing model offered by the vendor, MSI is discontinuing access to our MOE modules. Our logs show nearly no usage for MOE at MSI over the past year, so this is not expected to be a disruptive change. 

However, it is possible that there are use cases that are not recorded in the available logs. If you need continued access to MOE for your research, please reach out to [email protected] as soon as possible so that we can work with you to minimize disruption.

6. Spring Tutorials and Workshops: The Spring 2025 tutorial schedules from MSI, U-Spatial, DSI AI Makerspace Hours, GEMS Learning, and Software Carpentry are being developed. Besides the links below, a consolidated list of courses that will help you hone your research computing skills can be found at the Research Tools and Computing Workshops portal site. 

a. MSI Tutorials: MSI’s tutorials are intended to help users achieve the best results using MSI systems. Spring 2025 tutorials will be hybrid, with both in-person and online (Zoom) participation. All tutorials are held in room 575 Walter Library. Descriptions and registration links can be found using the MSI Tutorials page. 

Past tutorials can be viewed on the MSI YouTube channel. 

b. U-Spatial Workshops: U-Spatial offers a variety of instructor-led workshops focusing on different geospatial tools and technologies. Information about the workshops is posted on the U-Spatial website. 

c. DSI AI Makerspace Hours: DSI holds Makerspace Hours to allow users to gain practical experience with AI on MSI’s HPC clusters. MSI staff are available to assist. Makerspace Hours are paused for Winter Break and will resume during Spring semester, Friday afternoons in 575 Walter Library, beginning January 24, 2025. See the DSI website for the schedule and to RSVP. 

d. GEMS Learning: GEMS Learning provides modular, non-credit digital and data-science training for working professionals and students interested in hands-on food, agriculture, and natural resource applications. These courses give students practical knowledge to tackle data-science challenges across the agri-food sciences. See the GEMS Learning webpage for course details and registration information.

e. Software Carpentry:Software Carpentry workshops are hands-on events that cover core computational research skills to be productive as an individual scientist or in small research teams. These workshops offer graduate students, staff, and faculty practical exercises on basic computational research skills. No previous experience is needed and each workshop is taught by experienced researchers who use these tools in their own work. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about tools that will help your research process become more efficient, rigorous, and reproducible. Descriptions of workshops and links for registration can be found at the Software Carpentry course list. Some classes are held online, others are in person; check the individual descriptions. 

7. Upcoming Events of Interest:

a. Research Computing Collaboration and Coffee: The next Research Computing Collaboration and Coffee events will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 and Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., in 401 Walter Library. MSI users are welcome to join staff members for informal discussions. You should bring your own beverage and/or snack. If you’re so moved, you’re welcome to bring a treat to share.

b. University of Minnesota Day of Data: The U of M Day(s) of Data will be held January 15-16, 2025. This is a series of virtual events that foster data enthusiasm, data literacy, and critical thinking around the role of data across our University and in society as a whole. It is free and open to all U of M students, faculty, staff, and alumni. You can see the schedule of talks and register at the event website: U of M Day of Data. 

c. DSI Seed Grant Showcase: The Digitial Science Initiative's Seed Grant showcase will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 3 - 5 p.m., in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Memorial Union. This event celebrates the work of the DSI Seed Grant recipients. Light refreshments. RSVP.

d. Design of Medical Devices Conference: The annual Design of Medical Devices Conference will be held on April 28 – 30, 2025, at the Graduate by Hilton Hotel and the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus of the U of M. Registration will open soon; complete information is on the conference website. 

8. U-Spatial Mapping Prizes: Entries are being accepted for the 2025 U-Spatial Mapping Prizes. The deadline is Friday, May 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. The registration link can be found on the Spatial University website. 

9. Jobs Available at Research Computing:

• M&I Bioinformatics Analyst (MSI) – Job ID 364047
• Linux Security Analyst (RC) – Job ID 365244
• DevSecOps Engineer (MSI) – Job ID 365308
• Helpdesk Support Analyst (MSI) - Job ID 365955
• GIS Specialist (U-Spatial) - Job ID 365958 (two positions available)

10. MSI Operations: MSI staff are working under a hybrid model; not all staff are working on-site full time. All MSI systems are operational and can be accessed remotely. 

To request technical assistance with your MSI account, contact the Helpdesk:

• In-person walk-ins: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; 587 Walter Library
• Virtual meetings are available Wednesday and Friday; schedule a consultation 
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 612-626-0802

11. Useful Webpages: Looking for help with using MSI or other RC resources? One of these pages may have the information you need:

• Our Services
• Our Resources
• Getting Started at MSI (includes Quickstart Guides)
• MSI Systems Status
• Software at MSI
• MSI Help
• Tutorials
• Knowledge Base
• Staff Listing and Areas of Expertise
• Proposal Support
• Upcoming Events 
• Research Computing website
• DSI website
• IIB website
• U-Spatial website