Harvard

I just filled in some structure based on our etherpad notes, but please don't hesitate to change around as you see fit and add content.

What should be in six half-hour lessons?

1. Introduction to HPC and accessing the cluster (30-45 min)

   • Discussion of computer components (CPU, storage, memory)
   • Explanation of terminology (nodes, cores, threads, cluster, serial/parallel processes)
   • Structure of the cluster (login nodes, job scheduler, etc.)
   • Accessing the cluster with ssh and discussion of cluster filesystem set-up
   • Activity: practice navigating the filesystem using Unix commands – navigate between /home and /groups - find and edit a file.

2. Transferring files to/from the cluster (20-30 min)

3. Queues and partitions/allocations (30 min)

   • Discussion of batch job scheduler, queuing and scheduling
   • Queue structure and priority
   • Job scheduler commands
   • Activity: Start an interactive session, include specific options (number of cores, etc.)

4. Accessing tools in the cluster by exporting PATH and using modules (30-45 min)

5. Submission scripts and batch job submission (30 min)

6. MPI and multithreading (30 min)

Summative assessment: