NERSC 1998 User Survey Results
Question 8. What additional resources would you like NERSC to provide?
These are the complete responses to this question, with a few minor edits.
Some responses have been repeated (to group them under multiple categories).
Provide more cycles / more machines:
- Upgrade J90 to handle vector programs when C90 is decommissioned.
- I would like to see the C90 kept. I guess it is expensive to
maintain, but it is so much faster than the J90's, it's a real shame it
must be mothballed.
- Continued availability of the C90 would be convenient.
- A new PVP machine with performance in the T-90 class or beyond
to replace the C-90 when it gets phased out. The PVP machines
are the lifeblood of the center.
- Have more moderately priced multiprocessor SGI, DEC, etc.
computers available. Don't depend entirely on T3E type machine.
- Massively parallel vector machine. At least 1024 processors
- More MPP platforms
- More nodes on the T3E, another parallel machine.
- Need more parallel processing power.
- More massively parallel computers with MPI and good F90 compilers.
- The demand for computer cycles on massively parallel machine
has far outstripped the supply.
- Our research depends very much on HPCC technology. More
computing resources available to us will allow us to complete
century long simulations and comparisons.
- Nothing important that I can think of! (Aside from many more node-hours --)
- more of the same!
- more computer power (obviously)
- Always more time.
- More of same.
- increase allocations
- More cycles
Better software support:
- Multithreaded Perl, but ESPECIALLY full ports of CERN libraries,
as well as GNU tcsh (as opposed to clunky bash shell);
full ssh to/from with authentication, to replace the disabled
rlogin on T3Es; and Concurrent Versions System (CVS), an indispensable
GNU tool for software version control.
- The NERSC computer system should acquire the MOLPRO program for
high-level ab initio MO calculations. The MOLPRO program of P. Knowles
and H.-J Werner has superior subroutines for advanced techniques such
as the Restricted open-shell coupled cluster method which is more reliable
and faster than that of the Gaussian version).
- Provide some tool for converting from FORTRAN 77 code to FORTRAN 90
code (like the VAST compiler) would be very useful.
- I would like to see the cf77 compiler remain available on the C90.
My reason for this is that I have some codes which I have
benchmarked on C90's with both the cf77 and f90 compilers, and I
find that the f90 compiler is not very well optimized. In extreme
cases, I have found the run time under the f90 compiler to be as
much as 4 times slower than the cf77 compiler. Hence, I would like
access to the cf77 compiler until the f90 compiler has received
improved optimization.
- Sorry, but 100% compatible Fortran77 is a must for scientific applications. Not all our code is
parallel and rewriting of some old but still useful pieces is a real trouble (like I/O procedures).
Any sequential F77 would be ok for our group.
- install CERNLIB, this is a library of software packages
for high energy physics research, but also useful for other works. [PVP user]
- Newer version of emacs on mcurie.
- ghostview utility
- file manager, editor, (network file synchronizer???)
- would you please provide the ezget libraries which Livermore
people use to retrieve drs file?
- restore the pop mail server on SAS
Better / different batch management:
- Additional batch queues would be desirable. Having to
wait two days for a batch job to start then have it run
for an hour or so is disappointing.
- Need longer time limits on T3E queues.
- I'd like to see NERSC provide a set of Unix scripts on line for
making batch file submission easier and more user friendly.
- I am wondering whether the T3E scheduler could predict when a given job in the queue would
be expected to start execution (this prediction could perhaps be included in the qstat listing);
this prediction of course would be subject to change, but might be helpful for planning.
Improve documentation/training:
- more extensive web information would be nice
- More online documentation that "normal" people can read.
- good manual
- More training classes that are easier for people from remote
sites with limited travel funds
- More information regarding libraries (math, graphics, etc) available and a friendly way to
use such a libraries.
More storage, better storage interfaces, better file management, new file
services:
- additional space in the working disc [C90 user]
- more inodes for [T3E]
- Improved distributed use of facilities. For example, improve
access to visualization server.
- machines with access to mcurie home directories with matlab
- When our group arrived in Berkeley, one resources that would
been quite useful would have been some access to some DLT drives.
We had many Gbytes of info on DLT tapes we wanted to bring in
the J90 and HPSS, and the only network option would have been
to transfer our data from Canada using FTP, and that would have
taken days (if not weeks) of continuous transfer, since far away
network connections like that are relatively slow. Instead we
found some DLT tapes from a a group on the UCB campus
(and transfer then using FTP or a short network distance)
It would have been convenient if NERSC would have had some
tape drive facilities for us to use locally. I'm not sure
if the demand (probably very low) would justify the money
investment for NERSC, but that's what resource I would have
liked to have last summer.
Keep users better informed; better interactions with users:
- current updates about system, such as changes in the C90 compiler
- A more user friendly set of notes, e-mails, or video on the web
regarding the current status of computers, availability of software, hardware, etc.
This must be done in a way that reach the user, traditionally NERSC was the main source of
computer power but this has changed and without another channel to update the users about what
is going on at NERSC the tendency is for us to forget about NERSC and concentrate
in other computer resources closer to us.
Provide a workstation farm; better PDSF support:
- A large linux farm.
- Farm of linux boxes
- PDSF should be supported strongly with more manpower and more machines.
Visualization support/software:
- Our project generates large amounts of 4-dimensional
data (3 space dimensions + time). We would like to have good,
efficient means for analyzing and viewing this data remotely.
Perhaps this capability exists and we don't know about it, or
perhaps it doesn't exist. I'd like to know more.
- something like g-sharp -- together with avs ..
visualization is great ... however, journal still want
high quality black and white graphics [most of the time]
and I have to publish my results in journals.
- Improved distributed use of facilities. For example, improve
access to visualization server.
Increase research / scientific computing support:
- Have experts in areas of user interest available as resources.
No changes needed / no opinion:
- No specific request at this moment yet.
- kaffee mit croissants
- No.
- No strong opinions.
- No opinion.
- I cannot think of any.
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