The SSCC makes a large number of powerful servers available, but we also have over three thousand users. The servers are a shared resource, and overloading them can affect everyone.
Thus we ask all our members to adhere to the following:
- Only run one CPU-intensive job at a time on Winstat, or one job on each the Linstats. Jobs like text editors, email programs, etc. use very little processor power and you may feel free to run as many of these as you wish. Statistical software such as Stata, SAS, R and Matlab, and most user-written programs, will normally use 100% of a CPU while carrying out calculations. Some will use multiple CPUs. Only run one of these programs at a time.
- Do not attempt to use more than half of a server's RAM. On Linstat this limit (24GB) is enforced by the operating system. On Winstat, use no more than 12GB at a time.
- Do not run more than fifteen jobs on Condor at a time, unless you anticipate that the jobs will be done in a very short period (on the order of thirty minutes or less) and there are enough CPUs available at the time you submit them.
Exceptions to these policies may be made under unusual circumstances or for users with unusual needs. Contact the Help Desk if you believe your case merits an exception.
SSCC staff regularly monitor the load on each of the servers. If we notice you are in violation of this policy, we will send you a warning and ask you to terminate your jobs. But if the jobs are causing problems for other users we may need to terminate them for you immediately.
This will not keep the servers from getting busy on occasion. But it does ensure that they will not be overloaded by a single user or very small group of users.
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