End of Apptainer Pilot Phase
We are happy to announce that, after a long pilot phase, we are granting all users full access to use Apptainer containers on the cluster. Containers are virtual environments that allow running an identical software configuration across several systems, e.g., two different HPC systems, and simplify the setup of software that only runs well on other Linux distributions. Apptainer also supports the conversion of Docker images and can thus run a vast variety of existing images with little to no extra effort.
Previously, we only allowed curated container images as part of our software stack and individual images on a per-case basis. Starting today, users can build and run their own container images anywhere on the cluster.
If you are interested in using Apptainer, please take a look at our documentation[1] and read the “Best Practices” section to get started and avoid common problems. As part of our efforts to support containerized workloads in HPC, we will also grow our collection of container images in the module system and provide a set of Claix-specific base images for various scenarios that can be used as a foundation for your own container images.
Kind regards,
Your HPC Team
[1] https://help.itc.rwth-aachen.de/service/rhr4fjjutttf/article/e6f146d0d9c04d35aeb98da8d261e38b/
Status of Organizations Can Now be Recorded in the Organization Directory
The status of organizations can now be recorded in the organization directory. In addition, entered URLs and e-mail addresses are validated.
Release Notes Version 2.6.0 – New study room map
Features:
- Study room map is now integrated
- Calendar data can now also be used offline
Improvements and bug fixes:
- Filtering options for meals and study rooms have been expanded and improved
- The “No search results” display has been revised
- Several minor bug fixes
Opencast: Migration of streaming database
- Migration from MySQL to PostgresSQL
CLAIX-2018 dialog systems
Due to the high load on the login / dialog nodes affecting their usability, we decided to reduce the maximum usable cores on each login node to four cores for each user. Please note: These login nodes should be used for programming, preparation and minimal post processing of batch jobs. They are not intended for production runs or performance tests. For longer tests (max. 25 minutes), parallel debugging, compiling, etc., you can use our “devel” partition by adding “#SBATCH –partition=devel” to batch jobs or interactively with “salloc -p devel”.
For all productive jobs, please use our batch system **without** “#SBATCH –partition=devel”. If you want to more learn more about the batch system, we invite you to our Slurm introduction.
You can track any disruptions or security advisories that may occur due to the aforementioned change in the RWTH-HPC category on our status reporting portal.
FastX Server Component Upgraded to Version 3.3.39
The FastX server component installed on the HPC frontend nodes was upgraded to version 3.3.39.
The update contains security enhancements and several bugfixes from which all users benefit when using FastX.
Please ensure to use the latest desktop client if you are using FastX when accessing the cluster.
For more information on how to access the RWTH Aachen Compute cluster via FastX, please refer to the ITC Help Page
You can track any disruptions or security advisories that may occur due to the aforementioned change in the Email category on our [status reporting](https://maintenance.rz.rwth-aachen.de/ticket/status/messages/14-rechner-cluster) portal.
UI improvements Person Directory
The UI of the person directory has been improved. Error messages are now more clearly visible and the view of vacant campus assignments has been revised.
Release Notes Version 2.5.0 – New study room traffic light
Features:
- The study room traffic light has been added (this shows the occupancy of study rooms, as was also displayed in the previous RWTHapp)
Improvements and bug fixes:
- The people search function has been improved: we have improved the search algorithm and optimized the results
- Outstanding fees (e.g., university library) are now sorted by date
- Several minor bug fixes
ARMForge becomes LinaroForge
With Linaro’s acquisition of the Forge toolset from ARM, the popular parallel debugger DDT and the performance analysis tool Performance Reports are now available as Linaro Forge.
The newest version of the toolset is available on CLAIX via module load LinaroForge/23.0.2.
You can track any disruptions or security advisories that may occur due to the aforementioned change in the RWTH-HPC category on our status reporting portal.
web phone directory CAS CAMPUS was shut down
On August 31, the RWTH Aachen University web phone directory CAS CAMPUS was shut down. The old CAS CAMPUS directory has now been completely replaced by the new RWTHcontacts directory.
For more information, please see the IT Center Blog and the circular.
