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Getting Started with Sid on FASSE

This guide explains how to access and use Sid on FASSE

Sid is a service providing high performance computing resources to Social Scientists at The Institute for Quantitative Social Science and the larger community at Harvard University.  FASSE is the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Secure Environment  computing cluster.

Pre-requisite steps

Get an account on FASSE: https://docs.rc.fas.harvard.edu/kb/get-a-fasse-account-and-project-group/

To use Sid

Log in

Log into the VPN and the cluster:

  • Use Cisco AnyConnect server address vpn.rc.fas.harvard.edu
    1. Enter your FASSE username in the format of username@fasse
    2. Enter your FASSE password
    3. Enter your FASSE 2FA token
    4. Log into the FASSE cluster: https://fasseood.rc.fas.harvard.edu/pun/sys/sid
      1. Use just your FASRC username, without the “@fasse”, and your FASRC password
  • If this is the first time launching the app, you may need to click “init” on an additional page to start/initialize the app.

Transfer files

To work with your files on Sid, you will need to copy them to a location on the compute cluster. Files that will only be used by you can be stored in your home folder. Files that will be accessed by others can be stored in your lab space. There are several ways to set up and initiate file transfers, depending on your needs and preferences.

Run an interactive application

Launch your application with predefined CPU, RAM (memory), and runtime
  • Log into Sid: https://fasseood.rc.fas.harvard.edu/pun/sys/sid
  • You should see a list of quick launch tiles with popular applications
  • Click on the icon of the application you want to use
  • The view will refresh to show the most recently started application at the top of the page. You may have to scroll up to see it.
  • It may take a few minutes for your application to start, as indicated by either or both of the following messages:
    • Please be patient as your job currently sits in queue. The wait time depends on the number of cores as well as time requested.
    • Your session is currently starting… Please be patient as this process can take a few minutes.
  • Once it is visible, click on the “Connect to…” or “Launch…” button, which will open your application in a new window.
Launch your application with custom CPU, RAM, and runtime
  • Log into Sid: https://fasseood.rc.fas.harvard.edu/pun/sys/sid
  • Choose an application from the Interactive Apps menu at the top of the page
  • Fill in the details for your application, then click Launch.
  • This will bring you the My Interactive Sessions page.
  • It may take a few minutes for your application to start, as indicated by either or both of the following messages:
    • Please be patient as your job currently sits in queue. The wait time depends on the number of cores as well as time requested.
    • Your session is currently starting… Please be patient as this process can take a few minutes.
  • Once it is visible, click on the “Connect to…” or “Launch…” button, which will open your application in a new window.

Close your application

  • Close the application window
  • Navigate to the Sid dashboard window
  • Click “delete” in the “Active interactive sessions” area for that application.
    • As this area only displays the 3 most recent applications, you might need to go to Interactive Sessions to find your application.

Run a batch job

  • Run a batch job by doing one of the following:
    • Use the Job Composer from the Jobs menu
    • Use a Terminal
      • Select Terminals -> FASSE menu item
      • Launch a Remote Desktop and use the Terminal there
      • SSH from your local computer to fasselogin.rc.fas.harvard.edu using your FASRC username, password and 2FA token.

Further Information

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