ALCF User Account Overview
All computing carried out on the ALCF systems is associated with a user "account." This account is used to log onto the login servers and run jobs on the resources. If someone has a user account, then he or she has a login name that is recorded in the user database. This web page describes the process that users will need to understand to manage account details, including policies and procedures.
If you need an account, visit the Accounts and Project Management website: Request an account
If you want to learn how to get started, visit the Get Started Guide: Get Started Guide
Who Can Get an Account
Those who are interested in having an account on a ALCF resource must first request an allocation and provide a detailed description of the work, including computational requirements and coding capabilities for the Blue Gene platform. Another means of acquiring an allocation on the ALCF system is to be part of a project team that already has an active allocation. Once an allocation has been granted, new users should complete an account request. A project’s Principal Investigator (PI) must sponsor these accounts—if the PI is the user, an ALCF staff member must serve as sponsor. Sponsors are asked annually to evaluate the accounts they have sponsored to determine whether or not these accounts should be kept active.
Account Abilities
A user with an active account can login to the ALCF login servers (e.g., polaris.alcf.anl.gov) This account will have some home directory space, where file transfer can occur from that space via the login nodes, and where development activities, such as editing and compiling, can also occur.
Account States
Accounts are classified in one of the following categories:
- Pending: An account that has been requested but has not yet been created.
- Active: An account that can be used to interact with the ALCF Login Servers. This is the normal state for all accounts.
- Inactive: An account that still exists on the system (that is, the account continues to be registered in the database and the user's files exist on disk) but the user cannot interact with the ALCF Login Servers. An account might be disabled due to misuse, security concerns, or because it is no longer allocated.
- Deleted: An account that existed on the system and is thus in the records and backups, but whose user no longer has access to the systems or files on disk.