Overview
For new and follow-up scientific computation projects, a project proposal to reason the HPC usage has to be submitted.
There are three distinct classes for projects (by amount of requested resources), with different approval procedures.
In calculating the required resources, GPU hours are accounted with a factor of 24 of normal CPU core hours (since 2021-06-01).
| Project class | SMALL (Prep/Local) | NHR-NORMAL | NHR-LARGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| minimum size | min. 1,000,000 core-hours | min. 12,000,000 core-hours | |
| maximum CPU usage |
max. 360,000 core*hours per year = 30,000 core*hours per month ~ steady use of 40% of a compute node (96 cores) 24x7 for one year |
max. 12,000,000 core*hours per year = 83,000 to 1 Mio core*hours per month ~ steady use of 1.2 to 14.3 compute nodes (96 cores) 24x7 for one year |
max 50,000,000 core*hours per year = 1 Mio to 4.166 Mio core*hours per month ~ steady use of 14.3 to 60 compute nodes à 96 cores 24x7 for one year |
| maximum GPU usage | 15,000 GPU*h | 1 Mio GPU*h | 2 Mio GPU*h |
| Designated share of the cluster's total computing resources | \__________ max. 20% ___________/ | \_________________________________ min. 80% _________________________________/ | |
| min … max duration | 3 … 12 months | 12 … 36 months¹ | 12 … 36 months¹ |
| Application form online? | yes, local | yes, NHR | yes, NHR |
| Detailed Project Description | -- | yes | yes |
| Final / interim report for extension | yes | yes | yes |
| Technical review | yes | yes | yes |
| Scientific review(s) | -- | BMBF/DFG-sponsored: 1, else 2 | 2 |
| Deadlines | -- | -- | yes |
| Processing time | approx. one week | approx. six weeks | Please refer to the deadlines below |
| ¹ with yearly interim reports | |||
Approval
SMALL projects are subjected to a technical review (TR) only, and start to be usable after their TR's successful completion.
In general, SMALL projects can also be seen as forerunners for larger projects.
---
All NHR classes are subjected to a scientific review process.
NHR-NORMAL projects--after being technically reviewed--are subject to at least one scientific review, if already reviewed and sponsored by BMBF or the DFG. In case of non-DBMBF/DFG N projects, two SRs will be necessary.
NHR-N projects will also be granted preliminary resources immediately after a successful TR.
NHR-LARGE projects always require two scientific reviews.
Based on these SRs, the NHR4CES Resource Allocation Board decides about the N- and L proposals, and may grant the requested or a reduced amount of computing time.
The usual (and maximum) duration of any project (in any class) is one year, though SMALL projects can be shorter (at least 3 months).
Extension
Regular
Most scientific endeavours require more than a year (the maximum duration of a HPC project). To continue your scientific work (after regular use of your HPC project phasing out), a follow-up project proposal needs to be submitted.
- for a SMALL project, use the same form as with your initial application (see link above)
- for NHR-N and NHR-L projects, use the NHR JARDS portal to apply for a follow-up project.
In these cases, the abstract / reasoning of the follow-up proposal is at the same time the intermediary report for its closing predecessor.
Exceptions
If objective reasons beyond your control (like force majeure, external changes in scientific focus or scope of your project) have impeded or prevented reaching the planned scientific goals, running projects can be extended by 1 or 2 months.
Forms / Templates
Proposal
- SMALL projects: Online form. You can save the form at any state and continue editing later on, using this link.(example: online form output) (opens in new tab)
- NHR-NORMAL and NHR-LARGE projects: Both can be applied for via the NHR4CES portal. Templates for the detailed project description are also available via this portal's start page.
Report
For all projects of all classes, an intermediary or final report is required, in general within 4 weeks after a project's expiry.
- Templates for SMALL projects are available as pdf (opens in new tab), word, and LaTeX.
Upload the resulting PDF via the Online form for S projects, using the last project ID. Your password for the online form is the same as sent by mail at application time.
If you lost it in the meantime, send an email to hhlr@hrz.tu-… (mentioning the project number) and we will reset it. - NHR-NORMAL/LARGE: The final report for NHR projects is to be uploaded to the NHR4CES portal no later than 4 weeks after the end of the granting period. Report templates are also available on that website.
Reports will be published on the HKHLR website!
Home Office/Covid-19
Due to the current Corona restrictions, we also accept scans of the completed and fully signed forms per mail for preliminary setup/extension. However, for legal reasons, the paper original is required to be sent nonetheless via office post (address see the “Contact” button right of this text).
Application deadlines for NHR-LARGE proposals:
- Project planned to start 1st Jan: deadline 1st Oct (previous year)
- Project planned to start 1st Apr: deadline 1st Jan (same year)
- Project planned to start 1st Jul: deadline 1st Apr (same year)
- Project planned to start 1st Oct: deadline 1st Jul (same year)