Spin Training

Overview

Spin is a container-based platform* at NERSC designed for you to deploy your own science gateways, workflow managers, databases, API endpoints, and other network services to support your scientific projects. Services in Spin are built with Docker containers and can easily access NERSC systems and storage.

Documentation

The NERSC docs site has a section dedicated to Spin that is being actively developed.

Training materials from the SpinUp workshops are also available below.

Spin Office Hours

All active Spin users are welcome to make an appointment for hands-on help deploying or troubleshooting their apps in Spin.

Appointments can currently be scheduled during Spin Office Hours every Friday, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Pacific time. Sessions are held over Zoom.

After scheduling, you will receive an email confirmation with further instructions.

Self-Guided SpinUp for Current Users

This do-it-yourself program is designed for those who want to use Rancher 2 and who have already attended a workshop using Rancher 1 or are joining a project team of well-established Spin users. (The latter is subject to NERSC approval.)

Participants will follow interactive exercises in a self-paced module and may access regular Spin Office Hours sessions with NERSC staff.

Download the self-paced module now to see the topics covered.

Submit a ticket now indicating your NERSC project(s) to get access to the Spin Rancher 2 instance.

SpinUp Workshop for New Users

New to Spin? Attend the SpinUp Workshop to learn how to build your own services!

This instructor-led workshop is designed for those new to Spin or wanting a thorough refresher. It includes two sessions: 1) a seminar with interactive exercises and 2) an unstructured hack-a-thon. Participants will learn about the Spin platform by deploying a simple service in the first session, then work in small groups to try projects of their own in the second. Instruction will also cover basic maintenance and troubleshooting.

Users must have an active NERSC account and attend a workshop for access to Spin.

A basic understanding of Docker technology is recommended.

All sessions are conducted virtually over Zoom.

Download the workshop materials now to see the topics covered.

Upcoming Workshops

Apply now to attend one of the workshops listed below.

All times are Pacific Daylight (PDT/UTC-7) or Pacific Standard (PST/UTC-8).

October

• Seminar: Wed., October 18, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. PDT (UTC-7)
• Hack-a-thon; Choose either
  • Option A: Wed., October 25, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. PDT (UTC-7)
  • Option B: Thu., October 26, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. PDT (UTC-7)

December

• Seminar: Wed., December 6, 2023, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. PST (UTC-8)
• Hack-a-thon; Choose either
  • Option A: Wed., December 13, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. PST (UTC-8)
  • Option B: Thu., December 14, 2023, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. PST (UTC-8)

* In cloud terms, a “containers-as-a-service (CaaS)” platform.