Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Supercomputing
What's Your HPC Game Plan?
5/1/2008
In our high-performance computing roundtable, IT pros frankly discuss funding, centralization, silo cluster migration, and other pressing campus HPC issues. Fine-tune your supercomputing strategy here!
The University of Tennessee's Ragghianti (left), Jennings (right), and high-performance computing cluster
A university's supercomputing infrastructure certainly can put it on the map in the research and development arena. Yet developing a cutting-edge high-performance computing facility requires an intricate mix of grants, faculty startup dollars, external funding contracts, IT budget allocation-and internal marketing. Campus Technology recently conducted a "virtual roundtable" discussion with four IT leaders, each grappling with HPC challenges: Henry Neeman, director, OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research (OSCER), University of Oklahoma; Jim Bottum, vice provost and CIO for computing and information technology, Clemson University (SC); Gerald Ragghianti, IT administrator for high-performance computing, The University of Tennessee- Knoxville; and Larry Jennings, IT manager, also from The University of Tennessee. Their challenges may be yours, too.
Campus Technology: Let's get a quick overview of how supercomputing efforts at each of your institutions are progressing, and how these initiatives affect you and your departments.
Henry Neeman: As director of the OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research, a large part of my job is taken up by supercomputing. I also teach a course for the Computer Science department most semesters, but 90 percent of my work time is spent on supercomputing. Our department is a division of OUIT-University of Oklahoma Information Technology. We're a fairly small staff: There are four of us, three of whom are operations folks, so it's up to me to handle things like fundraising and whatnot. The overwhelming majority of our funding comes from OU's core IT budget.
Jim Bottum: I'm the CIO responsible for all of the traditional activities you would expect from that position, but Clemson has made highperformance computing a priority, as part of its academic roadmap. So, supercomputing is a significant emphasis area within my job.
Gerald Ragghianti: At The University of Tennessee, our centralized HPC effort is relatively new; it started about one-and-a-half years ago. I'm actually the first full-time staff member 100 percent dedicated to our centralization cluster; for [my colleague] Larry, it's not quite that much. I perform centralized administration of the cluster, and take care of speaking with researchers to customize our clusters to their needs.
Recommended Reading
- Where the Risks Are
Knowing what to spend on data protection and where to focus the effort isn't easy. Security assessments help eliminate the guesswork by identifying where your most critical risks lurk.
- Technology Forever
Who says classroom learning has to culminate with a formal degree? Tech-enabled lifelong learning programs are utilizing videoconferencing, vodcasting, and more to reach out to the 50-plus nontraditional student.
- They Say They Want A Revolution
As sustainability efforts ramp up on campuses, educators share eco-friendly dorm practices-- the ideal way to educate students about environmental issues.
- Getting More out of Mobile
Sure, cellular and handheld devices are quintessential communication tools, but savvy institutions are getting extra bang for their mobile tech bucks.
- It's Bandwagon Time
Colleges and universities worldwide are turning to the hosted SaaS model and saying goodbye to issues like patch management and server optimization.
- Waiting It Out
Have you given up trying to bring faculty into the world of emerging technology for teaching and learning?
