Getting Started on TeraGrid

Each on-site participant will be provided with two training accounts on TeraGrid systems for the duration of the Summer School. The accounts will be removed at the end of the day on July 9.

The participants at the ten Summer School sites will have accounts on two of the following systems:
All participants who have not previously used any TeraGrid systems should become familiar with the basics of using TeraGrid and the TeraGrid systems.  There is a reference guide and an on-line tutorial available to provide you with an introduction to using these systems at:
To assist participants with becoming familiar with the TeraGrid systems, we recommend that all participants review the above materials before arriving at the Summer School.

Your-local-system with MPI and OpenMP support  - If you have access to a local resource at your site that allows for quick compile-test-run turnaround, you'll find it handy to use that system during the Summer School for some of the basic lessons. A linux system with the openmpi rpms would suffice. Recent GNU compilers will support OpenMP with the -fopenmp compile option. See the Software Requirements page for download options for your local resource.

Compile hello_world.c

Place the above hello_world.c in the $HOME directory of the system(s) above that you plan to use this week. Use the appropriate batch script below to submit a test job. Example batch job submission commands for the corresponding systems above would be as follows:


After the job has run, check for the output in your $HOME directory. See the User Guides in the URLs above for more information on the batch systems at each site.

Getting Accounts on TeraGrid Systems
If you or your research team need an account on one or more TeraGrid systems, the process for requesting an account is provided at https://www.teragrid.org/web/user-support/allocations

Researchers may request Startup or Education allocations or larger, peer-reviewed Research allocations. Applications must be submitted through POPS, and approval is handled by committees that meet regularly throughout the year. Research allocations are handled by the TeraGrid Resource Allocations Committee (TRAC), which meets quarterly. The process for requesting start-up allocations is shorter than for Research requests.

To qualify for an allocation, the principal investigator (PI) must be a researcher or educator at a U.S. academic or non-profit research institution. A qualified advisor may apply for an allocation for his or her class, but a high school, undergraduate or graduate student may not be a PI. A postdoctoral researcher can also be a PI (After receiving an allocation, PIs can request that students be given accounts to use the allocation).

In general, TeraGrid follows the guidelines described in the current NSF Grant Proposal Guide. However, investigators with support from any funding source, not just NSF, are encouraged to apply. If your institution is not a university or a two- or four-year college, special rules may apply. Contact help@teragrid.org for details.