This micro-credential is for those who will be tackling computing-, memory- or storage-intensive research problems that exceed the capacity of a laptop or desktop computer. It is comprised of four half-day modules and is intended to give attendees a hands-on introduction to high-performance computing (“supercomputing”) using CU Boulder’s Research Computing resources. By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

  • Identify community and CU-specific research computing resources.
  • Find help/documentation for research computing.
  • Access research computing resources.
  • Use basic Linux to navigate the command line.
  • Transfer data to/from research computing systems.
  • Find, download and apply software on research computing systems.
  • Schedule jobs on research computing resources including CPUs, GPUs and high-memory platforms.
  • Monitor resource usage.
  • Request research computing resource allocations.

Eligibility

The micro-credential is open to anyone affiliated with a Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC) institution, including Colorado State University and CU Anschutz.

Delivery Mode

In-person


Credit Status

Noncredit

Academic Level

  • Graduate
  • Professional
  • Undergraduate

Time to Completion

Four days (16 hours).

Requirements

Learners will be required to attend four half-day sessions, with each session consisting of a lecture on a foundational topic in high-performance computing, followed by a hands-on assessment exercise that will demonstrate proficiency in the topic.

Course outline: 

Day 1:
 
  • Getting familiar with Research Computing 
  • How to ask for help 
  • In-class hands-on assessment #1 
  • Obtain a CURC account 
  • Email a helpdesk ticket requesting to be added to the course user group 
Day 2: 
 
  • Logging in to CURC and working with Linux 
  • Transferring your data to/from CURC 
  • In-class hands-on assessment #2 
  • Install Globus, set up Globus endpoint and transfer a file
  • Transfer another file from the command-line using “rsync” 
  • Metric for success: both files appear in the learner's /projects directory on CURC 

Day 3:

  • Finding, downloading and applying software on CURC
  • Scheduling basic jobs
  • In-class hands-on assessment #3
  • Write a job script that does X, Y, Z and schedule the job
  • Metric for success: Job runs successfully as indicated by output file
Day 4:
 
  • Monitoring resource use  
  • Requesting research computing resource allocations 
  • In-class hands-on assessment #4 
  • Request a CURC “Ascent” allocation 
  • Schedule a job with the new allocation 
  • Metric for success: Job runs successfully in the new allocation. User reports how many “SUs” were consumed by the job

Criteria

To earn the Introductory High-Performance Computing badge, learners must demonstrate the ability to: 

  • Identify community- and CU-specific research computing resources 
  • Find help/documentation for research computing 
  • Access research computing resources  
  • Use basic Linux to navigate the command line 
  • Transfer data to/from research computing systems 
  • Find, download and apply software on research computing systems 
  • Schedule jobs on research computing resources including CPUs, GPUs and high-memory platforms 
  • Monitor their resource usage  
  • Request research computing resource allocations 

Skills

  • High-performance computing
  • Linux
  • Supercomputing