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Lesson 1: Apocrita Introduction

What is Apocrita?

Apocrita is a 300+ node heterogeneous High Performance Compute (HPC) Cluster managed by ITS Research at QMUL, located in the Jisc Shared data centre in Slough.

The basic architecture of Apocrita consists of:

  • login nodes - to allow access via secure shell (ssh)
  • a job scheduler - to handle the queuing, execution and accounting of user jobs
  • compute nodes - to execute user jobs
  • clustered file system (storage) - to share common filesystems across Apocrita

Apocrita is comprised of different node types to accommodate for different user requirements. A breakdown of all compute nodes (open access and restricted) is available here.

Why use Apocrita?

Using an HPC cluster can substantially reduce the time taken to compute problems by running analyses in parallel or breaking them up into pieces. Both strategies allow for the problem to be worked on by many separate compute cores (CPUs) at the same time.

The Apocrita system has been specifically designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of research in the areas of our three faculties: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, and Medicine and Dentistry.

Who can access Apocrita?

Access to Apocrita is available for QMUL members of staff and postgraduate research. Undergraduate and MSc students require approval from their project supervisor.

What applications are available on Apocrita?

We have installed a variety of applications and libraries on Apocrita for use by everyone. Take a look at the currently installed applications here: https://docs.hpc.qmul.ac.uk/apps/. Should an application you desire not be installed, you may request an application using this form.