CUI, Restricted Data Projects
Overview
The Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) cluster is a CPU + GPU system which is the result of a partnership between ARC and the Hume Center. It came online in October of 2021 and provides a total of 15 nodes. Three nodes are dense GPU nodes matching those on (Tinkercliffs) and twelve are 64-core CPU nodes. Together, they provide strong scalability for a wide variety of workloads.
Technical details are below:
Node type |
CPU |
GPU |
|---|---|---|
Manufacturer |
HPE |
HPE Apollo |
Chassis |
HPE XL225n |
HPE Apollo 6500 Gen10 Plus |
Chip |
||
Nodes |
12 |
3 |
Cores/Node |
64 |
64 |
GPU Model |
- |
|
GPU/Node |
- |
8 |
Memory (GB)/Node |
512 |
2048 |
Total Cores |
768 |
192 |
Total Memory (GB) |
6,144 |
6,144 |
Local Disk |
240GB SSD |
240GB SSD |
Interconnect |
HDR-100 IB |
HDR-100 IB |
A VAST Flash storage system with 656TB of data storage capacity is connected to provide network-based storage for the cluster.
Access
The CUI system is set up to host projects which require some computational scale but are subject to controlled access restrictions such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Access to the CUI system requires a technology control plan (TCP) established with the Office of Export and Secure Research Compliance (OESRC) and consultation with ARC personnel to set up access and provide instructions for use.
Networks from which CUI is accessible
The login node for the CUI system, cui1.arc.vt.edu, will only accept connections from secured hosts on VT networks. However, connections from the VT VPN are not allowed since they could originate from arbitrary locations.
If you do not have access to a secured host on a VT network, then you will likely need to connect from OESRC’s COMPASS system. COMPASS is also accessible from off-campus, US locations by first connecting to OESRC’s Barracuda VPN.
Running jobs
The CUI cluster uses SLURM for resource management and job scheduling. One key difference from other ARC clusters is that users’ jobs run using the the SLURM account “cui” (e.g. #SBATCH --account=cui) instead of the personalized accounts you may use on elsewhere.
Maintenance Downtimes
Patching and updates to resolve security or vulnerability issues are of high importance for this cluster, so it may be subject to downtimes for maintenance and security updates with little or no advance notice.