User Policy for the Supercomputer

The Rules regulate the use of the service provided in connection with the use of the high performance computing infrastructure operated within the framework of Government Decree 5/2011 (II. 3.) on the operation of the National Information Infrastructure Development Programme and Government Decision 1422/2020 on the development of the supercomputing infrastructure in Hungary.

The purpose of the operation of supercomputers is to support the solution of computationally demanding problems arising in the course of the work of the user community through the computing resources made available to them.

The users of the supercomputing system will be selected from the Hungarian academic community and other partners of the Digital Government Development and Project Management Ltd. (hereinafter “DKF”). Users may include higher education institutions, research institutes and their partners, governmental actors and, under certain conditions, innovative market players (SMEs, large companies) engaged in R&D activities.

What can the supercomputing infrastructure be used for?

Supercomputing can be used to solve computational problems and tasks for research and education that could not be solved otherwise. It is primarily intended to serve applications that require extreme amounts of computing power or speed, or very large memory requirements.

How can I access the supercomputer?

All the subsystems of the supercomputer system are located at the DKF headquarters and regional centres, where the high-speed lines of the Hungarian Academic Internet Backbone Network (HBONE+) converge. The subsystems are connected to each other and to the network via multiple dedicated lambda links at 10GB/s. They can be accessed remotely over the network from any client computer, using alphanumeric or graphical terminal or terminal emulation and secure connection protocols (ssh, scp), using a middle layer.

The excellent network connectivity ensures that the system can be accessed from anywhere on the backbone network at high speeds, so that even large amounts of data can be moved without problems.

Access to the supercomputer system must be requested from the operator, i.e. the DKF. To apply, please visit the HPC Portal at the following link https://portal.hpc.kifu.hu/, where you can apply for a supercomputing resource in the framework of an HPC project after eduID login. Partner organisations that are not part of eduID’s partner organisations can access the HPC Portal with VHO access, authorised by the DKF.

By accepting the requested resource, the user declares that he/she has read and accepts the rules for the use of the supercomputer.

What are the conditions of use?

The supercomputer can only be used for the tasks indicated if the resource level is within the authorised level.

The scientific results and experience gained from the use of supercomputers in national and international publications should mention the use of the DKF infrastructure.

A brief summary and report on the status, progress and achievements of the projects using supercomputers should be sent to the DKF at least once a year.

How are resources allocated?

The resources of a supercomputer (machine time, number of processors, memory, back-up) are limited. The basic aim is to ensure that everyone has access to the capacity they need.

On a supercomputer, CPU-intensive jobs can be run through a local scheduler and resource allocation system, or through a grid resource broker.

What applications, user software or development tools are available?

Komondor provides compilers, libraries and other development tools for common computer programming languages (e.g. C, C++, Fortran), various software environments for running parallel applications (e.g. PVM, MPI, OpenMP), other HPC (High Performance Computing) tools for Linux environments, optimised parallel math libraries and various target applications. For more details on the software, see the “Software” section.

What user support/assistance is available?

The supercomputer operators provide a helpdesk service to provide professional assistance, consultation and advice to the users of the machine. The DKF also organises courses, workshops and seminars on supercomputers and their use.

How much does it cost to use a supercomputer?

In Hungary, the use of supercomputers is free of charge for higher education and research institutions, and open to governmental actors and the market under certain conditions.