Changes

In 2017-2018 Compute Canada has begun is carrying out one of the largest advanced research computing renewals in Canada’s history. Funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and provincial partners is being used to replace aging systems with [https://www.computecanada.ca/renewing-canadas-advanced-research-computing-platform/new-systems-at-four-national-sites/ four new national systems] that will consolidate resources. For more information on the national migration process and the latest update to the technology refresh program, please visit the [https://www.computecanada.ca/research-portal/accessing-resources/migration/ Compute Canada website].

Two of ACENET’s four main clusters - Mahone, and Fundy, Placentia and Glooscap - will be decommissioned 31 March 2018, after which ACENET will no longer support them. Two others - Glooscap and Placentia - are scheduled for decommissioning 31 March 2019. This page provides details specifically about migrating calculations and data off these legacy systems.

= Schedule =While the main ACENET clusters will continue operating until 31 March 2018, we have established a schedule for users to migrate their data and begin using the new Compute Canada national systems. The purpose of this schedule is to avoid difficulties in the last few weeks prior to decommissioning. Moving terabytes of data is not an overnight project, nor is installing and testing software on a new cluster.  As the deadline for each system approaches we will communicate with its users, providing instructions and resources for migration. There will be at least one month provided to complete the migration.  {| cellpadding="2" width="608" style="border: 1px solid #a3b1bf"|-bgcolor="#cee0f2"!width="60" | System!width="120" | Deadline to migrate!width="120" | Decommission date!width | Actions to take|- bgcolor="#f5faff"| [[Mahone]] || 15 November 2017 || 31 March 2018 || Migration of data should now be complete. |-bgcolor="#f5faff"| [[Fundy]] || 30 November 2017 || 31 March 2018 || Migration of data should now be complete. |-bgcolor="#f5faff"| [[Placentia]] || 31 January 2018 || 31 March 2018 || Migration of data should now be complete. |-bgcolor="#f5faff"| [[Glooscap]] || 28 February 2018 || 31 March 2018 || Migration of data should now be complete. |}  Anyone wishing to begin using the [https://www.computecanada.ca/renewing-canadas-advanced-research-computing-platform/new-systems-at-four-national-sites/ new national systems] immediately is encouraged to do so! = How to migrate move data =

= RAC Allocations = == 2017 Allocations -2018 ==

If you hold a Resource Allocation on an ACENET system and have concerns about reconciling the transfer out of your data with the decommissioning schedule, email [mailto:support@ace-net.ca support@ace-net.ca] and support staff will help you construct a data movement plan . == 2018-2019 ==A significant volume of 2018-2019 RAC allocations have been assigned to Glooscap and Placentia, in conformance with CFI's request that the systems being maintained are clearly national resources, and not treated as regional or local resources.  * If you have received a 2018-2019 RAC allocation on one of these systems and you do not already hold an ACENET account, email [mailto:support@ace-net.ca support@ace-net.ca] and ask for an account to be created. The PI of a research group must hold an active ACENET account in order for any other members of the group to hold accounts.  * 2018-2019 RAC allocations will be implemented as priority adjustments via the Grid Engine share tree. A group without a RAC allocation will be given 100 shares, notionally corresponding to one CPU. A RAC-holding group will be given a larger share in direct proportion to the CPUs they are awarded on the system (Glooscap or Placentia). Other queue policies (e.g. short.q, medium.q, long.q definitions) will be unchanged. If this means youcannot use your RAC allocation, please contact [mailto:support@ace-net.ca support@ace-net.ca] describing your needs, and we will discuss modifications to the queue policies to enable your research.

Following the decommissioning dates, 2018 March 31 on Fundy and Mahone and 2019 March 2018 decommission date31 on Glooscap and Placentia, user data on Mahone, Fundy, Placentia and Glooscap may be deleted without further notice. ACENET will not retain any long term or backup copies of user data. Users should ensure they take the appropriate steps to comply with any data management requirements of their institution and funding agency.

Systems scheduled for decommissioning are not being maintained under comprehensive vendor support programs due to the prohibitive cost. Only critical components (interconnects and shared storage) are maintained. Users should expect a gradual loss of processing capacity as compute nodes fail and are not repaired.

While this the new national infrastructure is not located in Atlantic Canada, ACENET will continue to be the primary support organization for research groups in Atlantic Canada, providing training, research consulting, and troubleshooting. Reach out to your local team, or [[Ask Support | contact us]].