FASRC DOCS

Tag: IQSS Sid

Getting Help with Sid

Getting Help with Sid

Sid is a service providing high performance computing resources to Social Scientists at IQSS and the larger community at Harvard University.

How to know if you’re using Sid

If your dashboard  looks like this, you’re using Sid:

Sid dashboard

 

The FASRC Cluster interface provides an alternate user interface to Sid.  If you see this, you’re using the FASRC interface, not Sid:

Cannon Dashobard

 

SID SPECIFIC ISSUES

Self-Help Documentation

Documentation for Sid can be found here: https://docs.rc.fas.harvard.edu/kb/sid-documentation

Opening a ticket

If you are using Sid and experience an issue, create a help ticket by sending email to: help@sid.hmdc.harvard.edu

When submitting a ticket, please be specific about the system and/or resource you’re having trouble with. What are you trying to accomplish and what steps have you taken so far? If you’re receiving an error message, include the text of the message and a screenshot, if possible.

FASRC CLUSTER RELATED ISSUES

If you are experiencing an issue in the FASRC interface, or have questions related to the FASRC Cluster, please use these support options: https://docs.rc.fas.harvard.edu/kb/support/

Sid applications run on the FASRC Cluster.

DESKTOP/LAPTOP/WiFi/NETWORK/EMAIL/PRINTER

Members of IQSS should contact IQSS Client Support Services at help@iq.harvard.edu for issues unrelated to Sid and the FASRC Cluster.

 

Sid Quickstart Guide for Cannon

Sid Quickstart Guide for Cannon

This guide explains how to access and use Sid on Cannon

SID IS NOT YET AVAILABLE ON THE CANNON CLUSTER.  Stay tuned, coming soon.

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.

Pre-requisite steps

Get set up on FASRC:

    1. Get a FASRC account
    2. Set your FASRC password
    3. Configure 2FA
    4. Configure VPN

To use Sid

Log in

Log into the VPN and the appropriate cluster:

  • Use Cisco AnyConnect server address vpn.rc.fas.harvard.edu
    • If your data is level 2 or below, SID IS NOT YET AVAILABLE ON THE CANNON CLUSTER, SO THIS WILL NOT WORK:
        1. Enter your FASRC username in the format of username@fasrc
        2. Enter your FASRC password
        3. Enter FASRC 2FA token
        4. log into the Cannon cluster: https://vdi.rc.fas.harvard.edu/pun/sys/sid
          1. Use just your FASRC username, without the “@fasrc”, 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:
    • Cannon is not yet available
  • 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:
    • Cannon is not yet available
  • 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 -> Cannon menu item
      • Launch a Remote Desktop and use the Terminal there
      • SSH from your local computer to login.rc.fas.harvard.edu using your FASRC username, password and 2FA token.

Further Information

Sid Interface Guide

Sid Interface Guide

This page provides an overview of the elements of the Sid interface.

Top Navigation

The Sid top navigation ribbon provides access to all Sid tools and features.

Files -> Home Directory: opens a new tab. The Files tool provides a visual way to work with the contents of your home directory, including making new files and directories, uploading and deleting files, and navigating to other locations such as lab storage.

Jobs -> Active Jobs: opens a new tab with a detailed view of all of a user’s batch and interactive jobs.

Jobs -> Job Composer: opens a new tab with an interface for creating new batch jobs or templates for batch jobs.

Terminals -> Cannon: Opens a new tab containing a Terminal providing a command line interface to the cluster.

Interactive Apps: A drop-down menu of the cluster’s most popular interactive applications. Selecting an application opens the launch page for that application, where you can customize the amount of resources requested, select an application version, and pre-load scripts.

My Interactive Sessions: View details about all running or recently completed interactive sessions. Currently running sessions include a link to open the application.

About: Learn more about Sid’s history and purpose.

Documentation: Link to Sid documentation and the FASRC wiki.

Support: Learn how to find answers to your questions and how to contact us for help.

Active interactive sessions

Your 3 most recent active interactive sessions will appear here, along with information about the session and a link to connect to it, if it is running.

If you have more than 3 running sessions, or you want to view information about recently completed sessions, the My Interactive Sessions menu item will show all of your interactive sessions.

Start an interactive job

These quick-launch tiles will immediately launch the relevant application with a pre-configured set of resources. Check the text on the tiles to see the number of CPU cores, RAM and session run-time that will be requested.

Quick Links

These tiles provide a quick way to

  • launch a Terminal window (opens in a new tab)
  • view your interactive app sessions and available apps
  • connect to the interface for the FASSE cluster for work with Medium Risk (“Level 3”) data, if you have been granted access to it.

 

Note: For initial onboarding such as requesting an account, setting up two factor authentication and connecting to the VPN, please see the Sid Quickstart Guide.

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