- HPC Buyers Guide
Detailed Buyers Reference- Applications
- Budget
- Processors
- Interconnects
- Memory
- Distributions
- Cluster Management
- Warranty and Support
- Cluster Racking
- Cluster Logical Layout
- Master Node
- Storage
- Backup
- Nodes
- Power
- Cooling
- Commercial Software
- Schedulers
- Account Management
- Security
- Windows Integration
- Shipping and Delivery
- Next Steps
HPC Applications- Processor
- System
- Network
- Storage
- Power
- Cooling
- Facilities Estimator
- Remote Management
- Green Computing
- Visualization
- Compilers
- Operating Systems
- Schedulers and Tools
- Virtualization
On-Site and Training
What are your on-site and training options?
Integration of your Aspen cluster into your site infrastructure can be labor intensive. Aspen can assist you in these tasks if you need help. Aspen can coordinate with you to have one or more cluster engineers meet the truck delivering your cluster, and take your cluster from one or several disconnected racks sitting on your computer room floor to a fully functioning HPC resource integrated into your site network and performing useful work.
You may customize the task list for the Aspen on-site visit in any way you wish. If you have personnel available for such physical tasks as helping our engineer move the racks into position, it might be more cost effective to contract for only one engineer. If the scope of your project is larger, or you wish all installation tasks be handled by Aspen, multiple engineers can be dispatched to your facility.
Tasks such as SAMBA integration for Windows host communications, local backup system integration, site network implementation, modifying your cluster to interface with your site user authentication schema, or specific site firewall and security customization can best be accomplished on-site by Aspen engineers in conjunction with your site personnel. Such site specific tasks are in many cases more difficult or impossible to verify if they are done prior to shipping, because they can really only be tested when the cluster is on-site and attached directly to your organizational network. By knowing your requirements in advance, Aspen can prepare your cluster as much as possible while it is at Aspen to allow on-site engineers to quickly and efficiently finalize the localization.
An installation on-site visit can also be used to familiarize your administrators with your new Aspen cluster and teach them how best to interface with and manage the system. Many customers also find this visit an excellent time to have our engineers work directly with your users, covering such topics as code execution, proper environment initialization, and job submission if a queuing system is involved. If this is your first HPC cluster, or your users are not familiar with cluster application execution, Aspen engineers can conduct informal training sessions in addition to normal installation tasks to get your users up to speed and running code as quickly as possible.
If a more formalized training environment is desired, Aspen can tailor a specific formal training class for your users or administrators, with a curriculum that you and Aspen have worked out before hand. Please be aware that some preparation is necessary in order to allow Aspen to assemble your custom curriculum, so this option will result in some additional expense and incur some delay in the scheduling of the site visit.
Your Aspen sales engineer can include 2, 3, 5 day or longer on-site visits as part of your cluster purchase for one or more Aspen engineers. You may use this time to have your on-site Aspen engineer(s) accomplish any tasks you wish. Work with your sales engineer to define the goals you wish to accomplish during the on-site visit so that Aspen can better prepare to meet those goals.
