======Welcome to the CHPC Documentation Wiki======

Here you will find documentation on the systems, hardware and software, tools and applications hosted on the CHPC super computers.



=====CHPC petaFLOP System=====

The CHPC has DELL cluster since mid-2016, named //Lengau// (cheetah), that can perform at 
[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLOPS|petaFLOP]] level.

====Mailing List====

The **[[https://lists.chpc.ac.za/sympa/info/chpc-users|chpc-users mailing list]]** is the primary communication channel for information about the status of the cluster.  [[https://lists.chpc.ac.za/sympa/subscribe/chpc-users|Subscribe here]] to receive new messages; and //please note you should check your various  mail folders including **spam**.// Once subscribed and logged in, you will also be able to view the [[https://lists.chpc.ac.za/sympa/arc/chpc-users|archive]] of all messages.

====Important documents for all users of the CHPC:====

  * **[[chpc:accounts#policies|CHPC Accounts Policy Document]]**  Now updated to version **2.8** of July 2026.
  * **[[chpc:accounts#registration|Procedure to follow for making use of CHPC resources]]**
  * **[[chpc:accounts#popi_privacy_notice|Privacy Notice]]**

To register for the new system you need to [[https://users.chpc.ac.za/|apply online]].

In order to obtain access to the cluster registration as either a //Principal Investigator// (PI) or //Normal User// on the new **CHPC User Database** is required.  It is further required from approved PI's to register a single //Research Programme// to which registered users can be added as members.  Job submissions will draw from cpu hour //allocations// associated with the respective Research Programmes.  Full details of these new procedures and steps to follow to get registered may be found at the following link to the user database: 
[[https://users.chpc.ac.za/]].

=====Getting Started: the Quickstart Guide=====

You should start [[quick:start|here]] if you're in a hurry and familiar with HPC.  The quick start guide briefly covers the main information a new users wants to know.

  *[[quick:login|Connecting to the Lengau cluster]]

  *[[quick:loginfailed|Login and Password Troubles]]

  *[[quick:start|Quick Start Guide]]

  *[[quick:help|How to ask for help]]

  *[[quick:softwareinstallation|How to request software installation]]
  
  *[[quick:start|Having Trouble Logging in?]] 


=====Main links:=====



    *[[HowTo:start|How To Guides]] for many specialised applications and tasks.

    *[[Guide:start|The Users' Guide]] covers using the systems at the CHPC, from logging in to compiling and running your programs.

    *[[FAQ:start|Frequently Asked Questions]] with answers.

    *[[quick:help|How to ask for help]] --- read this before asking us to help you.

    *[[Workshops:start|Workshops and Tutorials]]: future, current and previous training sessions.

    *[[Guide:glossary| The Glossary]] describes common terminology used in high performance computing.

    *[[chpc:start|Information on the Centre]]

=====Tips and Tricks:=====

  * [[TipsNTricks:start| Helpful code]] that you might be able to use/adapt for your own problems
  * [[Scaling:start| Scaling ]] -- Check your code scales before running big jobs
  * [[JobPerformance:start| Getting an idea of Job Performance ]] -- Check your running job by logging into your job's node/s and using command htop
  * [[howto:singularity|Singularity in a Nutshell]]
  * Need a python library that's not installed? Set up your own [[guide:python|virtual environment]]
  * More helpful [[howto:tipsandtricks|Tips and Tricks]] on the [[howto:| HowTo ]] page

=====Research Areas:=====

  * [[research:cosmology| Astronomy]]
  * [[howto:bioinformatics| Bioinformatics]]
  * [[research:cfd| CFD]]: Computational Fluid Dynamics
  * [[research:chemistry| Chemistry and Material Science]]
  * [[research:physics| Computational Space Physics]]
  * [[research:ML| Machine Learning]]
  * [[research:Weather and Climate Codes | Earth Systems Sciences]]


=====Advanced Computer Engineering (ACE) Lab:=====

    *[[acelab:OpenNebula SR-IOV VMM Driver]]
    *[[acelab:Application Benchmarks]]
    *[[acelab:Change Management Control Cluster]]


=====Openstack Production Cloud:=====


    *[[guide:cloud:overview|Overview]]
    *[[guide:cloud:start|Getting Started]]
    *[[guide:cloud|User Guide]]
    *[[guide:cloud:practices|Best Practice and Policies]]
    *[[guide:cloud:glossary|Glossary of Terms]]
    *[[guide:cloud:faq|FAQs]]

=====Priority projects:=====

The CHPC is mandated to support high priority and time-critical projects for weather and pandemic forecasting which need to be prioritised for usage of CHPC resources from time to time. In order to achieve timeous results for national decision-making, the termination of some running jobs may be required without prior warning when cluster usage is high.

=====Privacy=====

In compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) No. 4 of 2013, please read the CSIR's [[https://www.csir.co.za/csir-privacy-notice|Privacy Notice]].

Use of the CHPC systems are also covered by the [[chpc:accounts#popi_privacy_notice|CHPC Accounts Privacy Notice]].