New User Guide for HAL System

Step 1. Apply for a User Account

New user need to fill out THIS FORM to apply a system account.

After login with your NetID, you will need to fill out TWO forms.

By clicking "Submit Form", you only complete the FIRST form, please click "HERE" to complete the second form.

Step 2. Set up DUO device

New user needs to set up his/her DUO device via https://duo.security.ncsa.illinois.edu/.

If there has any problem, See https://go.ncsa.illinois.edu/2fa for common questions and answers. Send an email to help+duo@ncsa.illinois.edu for additional help. 

Step 3. Log on for the First Time with SSH

New user needs to log on HAL system for the first time with SSH to initialize his/her accounts.

ssh <username>@hal.ncsa.illinois.edu

Interactive jobs

Starting an interactive job

Using original slurm command

srun --partition=debug --pty --nodes=1 --ntasks-per-node=16 --cores-per-socket=4 \
     --threads-per-core=4 --sockets-per-node=1 --mem-per-cpu=1200 --gres=gpu:v100:1 \
     --time 01:30:00 --wait=0 --export=ALL /bin/bash

Using slurm wrapper suite command

swrun -p gpux1

Keeping interactive jobs alive

Interactive jobs cease when you disconnect from the login node either by choice or by internet connection problems. To keep an interactive job alive you can use a terminal multiplexer like tmux.

You start tmux on the login node before you get an interactive slurm session with srun and then do all the work in it.

tmux

In case of a disconnect, you simply reconnect to the login node and attach to the tmux session again by typing:

tmux attach

or in case you have multiple session running:

tmux list-session
tmux attach -t <session_id>

Batch jobs

submit jobs with original slurm command

#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --job-name="demo"
#SBATCH --output="demo.%j.%N.out"
#SBATCH --error="demo.%j.%N.err"
#SBATCH --partition=gpu
#SBATCH --time=4:00:00
#SBATCH --nodes=1
#SBATCH --ntasks-per-node=16
#SBATCH --sockets-per-node=1
#SBATCH --cores-per-socket=4
#SBATCH --threads-per-core=4
#SBATCH --mem-per-cpu=1200
#SBATCH --export=ALL
#SBATCH --gres=gpu:v100:1

srun hostname

submit jobs with slurm wrapper suite

#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --job-name="demo"
#SBATCH --output="demo.%j.%N.out"
#SBATCH --error="demo.%j.%N.err"
#SBATCH --partition=gpux1
#SBATCH --time=4
 
srun hostname

submit a job with multiple tasks

#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --job-name="demo"
#SBATCH --output="demo.%j.%N.out"
#SBATCH --error="demo.%j.%N.err"
#SBATCH --partition=gpux1
#SBATCH --time=4
 
mpirun -n 4 hostname &
mpirun -n 4 hostname &
mpirun -n 4 hostname &
mpirun -n 4 hostname &

wait

For detailed SLURM on HAL information, please refer to Job management with SLURM.

Step 4. Log on HAL System with HAL OnDemand

New users need to log in to the HAL system via "ssh hal.ncsa.illinois.edu" first to initialize their home folders. After new users initialization, HAL OnDemand can be accessed through

https://hal.ncsa.illinois.edu:8888

For detailed HAL OnDemand information, please refer to Getting started with HAL OnDemand.