Leavitt HPCC FAQs

How do I get access?

Bates faculty can request access via the access request form. Faculty members can also use the form to request access for students–student access to Leavitt must be sponsored by a faculty member.

Where should I store my data?

Storage in your home directory on Leavitt (/home/USERNAME), is available on all cluster nodes and is the main location for short-term data storage for use on the cluster. Storage here is backed up daily, however storage on compute nodes (e.g. in /var/tmp or /tmp folders) is not, so users should be sure to save job output to another directory once their job is completed.

This storage space is intended for active use on the cluster—this is not an appropriate place for long-term data storage. For long-term storage, please transfer your files to the Bates network collaborative file share Etna or your preferred alternative such as Google Drive. The advantage of Etna is that it can be accessed easily from Leavitt.

How do I access the Etna collaborative file share from Leavitt?

Etna

To access Etna, login to Leavitt as usual, and then change your directory to “/usr/netapp/etna/”: cd /usr/netapp/etna/

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From here you should be able to access your Etna Classes or Scholarship folder.

How do I access Leavitt off-campus?

Access to the Leavitt cluster is restricted from outside the Bates network. However, there are still two ways to access Leavitt from off-campus:

  1. You can use a Bates-issued computer with a VPN installed and configured.
  2. You can first ssh into abacus.bates.edu with your normal Bates credentials, a then from abacus ssh into leavitt.bates.edu.

What software is available?

Software available on Leavitt changes rapidly, as new applications and packages are added for users. Please contact Michael Hanrahan if you have questions.

How do I request new software packages?

If you would like to request new software to be installed on Leavitt, please email Michael Hanrahan.

What resources are available to help me learn more about the Linux command line and/or bash scripting?

There are many, many resources available online to help you become more comfortable in a Linux computing environment.

For those who prefer video tutorials, there are several Lynda.com courses available.  These require a personal subscription, but can be very helpful for getting started:

There are also many written guides available online. This is a good place to start: