TeraGrid Getting Started Guide

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Welcome!

Are you a new user starting to run jobs on TeraGrid? Are you interested in using the TeraGrid for your research? There are many ways to get information about TeraGrid:

• The main website, including the User Support section
• The TeraGrid Knowledge Base, for quick articles about specific questions
• TeraGrid User News, for announcements about training, system outages, new resources coming on line, and more
• The User Portal, for live information such as job status and allocation usage
• Various monitoring systems, such as Inca, to tell you what's up and what's not

This Getting Started Guide will help you find information based on your objectives and familiarity with the TeraGrid. Some questions you will find answers to include:

• How do I get an account?

You can only get an account as part of an allocation, so you either need to apply for an allocation (see Get an Allocation) or be added to an existing allocation (see Adding a User).

• How do I join an allocation?

The allocation owner must add you to an existing allocation (see Start Using My Account or Add a User).

• How do I start using my allocation?

Receive your Account Information Packet and log in to a resource (see Start Using My Account or Add a User).

Customize Your Guide

What is TeraGrid?

From the About section:

"TeraGrid is an open scientific discovery infrastructure combining leadership class resources at eleven partner sites to create an integrated, persistent computational resource. The deployment of TeraGrid in September 2004 brought into production over 40 teraflops of computing power, nearly two petabytes of rotating storage, and highly specialized data analysis and visualization resources, all interconnected at 10-30 gigabits/second via a dedicated national network and available to the scientific research community."

TeraGrid makes available to researchers a grid of connected resources and specialized services, coupled with the expertise and hardware of supercomputing centers across the United States, all integrated via a central allocation system and common user and support environments.

More Details:
View a map of TeraGrid resources

How can TeraGrid advance my research?

TeraGrid offers a variety of resources and tools to help further scientific research:

• Compute resources combine large groups of processors for running intensive applications;
• Visualization resources can be used to model the results of complex data sets;
• Data resources offer large storage capacities and the capability to share data over high speed networks
• Software applications include grid software (used for running jobs or transferring data across multiple locations) available from all sites and specialized applications available from one or more sites;
• User support encompasses phone and email communication as well as the Advanced Support for TeraGrid Applications (ASTA) program, which pairs projects with TeraGrid consultants who provide one-on-one support.

More Details:
Table of all TeraGrid resources