I. Introduction

1. Organization

The HPC Lab is overseen by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. 9 full-time members support various functions of the lab:

• Maintenance: equipment installations, maintenance and repair;
• Process: process engineering, training, monitoring;
• Administration: system administrator, finance, management.

Further information can be found at ‘About HPC Lab’.

2. HPC Lab Services

Powered by the SuperNode-XP Cluster, HPC Lab is providing many services to our members and customers, varying from Jira, Confluence to Zeppelin Notebook.

Further information can be found at ‘HPC Lab Services’.

3. Lab Overview

HPC Lab is comprised of two spaces: one is located at room 302B9 of Ly Thuong Kiet branch. The other is at room 710H6 of Di An branch. Though the latter is mainly put in use rather than the former one. 

The laboratory has the space of 150 square meter with two main areas:

• Equipment area (50m²): provided by Intel Corporation, the SuperNode-XP 50 TFlops System is located in this area, being one of the most powerful supercomputers in Vietnam.
• Experimenting area (100m²): a working area with equipment providing basic needs to members and students visiting the lab. (e.g. Air conditioners, monitors, desks and chairs, etc.) 

II. Membership

1. Lab Membership

1.1. Recruitment

The first thing to do when recruiting new applicants into the lab is to Get the Word Out. Both informal and formal methods are appropriate. Applicants can also look for Job Descriptions and the application form on the HPC Lab Website.

After receiving the application form and resume of the applicant, members of the lab will then consider if the applicant is suitable for the position they are applying or not.

Finally, an interview will be held inside the lab. If the applicant seems to be suitable for the position, an offer letter will be made soon after the interview.

1.2. Rights and Obligations

As a research participant at the HPC Lab, you have the right:

• To be told that you are being asked to participate in research.
• To be told the purpose of the research.
• To be told what will happen during the study, what you are being asked to do, and how long it will last.
• To know about other options available if you decide not to participate.
• To withdraw from the study or refuse to participate at any time without penalty or loss of benefits (for example, leaving the study will not affect your medical care, student status, work status, etc).

As a research participant at the HPC Lab, you have the responsibility:

• To communicate about your research.
• To collaborate with other researchers to bring out the best of each person.
• To transfer and exploit knowledge for the final result of the research.
• To behave honestly and ethically in the course of your research.

2. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Apart from graduate and post-doc students, HPC Lab also recruits undergraduates to do research. This is called the “Research Opportunities Program”. 

Visit 'Research Opportunities' for more details.

2.1. Recruitment

First, students need to send an introduction email to the head researcher of the lab, Assoc. Prof Thoại Nam. Resume and transcript should be attached with the email for further information.

After that, the email gets forwarded to every member in the lab to read. Members then report back to the head researcher if they are interested in having the student as a member of the lab.

Finally, an interview between members of the lab and the student will be held. If the student appears to be suitable for the position then they will be on board as soon as possible.

2.2. Rights and Obligations

As a research participant at the HPC Lab, you have the right:

• To be told that you are being asked to participate in research.
• To be told the purpose of the research.
• To be told what will happen during the study, what you are being asked to do, and how long it will last.
• To know about other options available if you decide not to participate.
• To withdraw from the study or refuse to participate at any time without penalty or loss of benefits (for example, leaving the study will not affect your medical care, student status, work status, etc).

As a research participant at the HPC Lab, you have the responsibility:

• To communicate about your research.
• To collaborate with other researchers to bring out the best of each person.
• To transfer and exploit knowledge for the final result of the research.
• To behave honestly and ethically in the course of your research.

III. Lab Resources

1. Lab Hours

The lab services are available for use 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Lab members are available during working hours only (Monday to Saturday, from 7 AM to 5 PM). Use of the lab during off-hours and weekends needs to be approved by members with authority beforehand. The lab sometimes shuts down due to electricity problems or facilities maintenance. Shutdowns will be announced to members and customers beforehand via HPC Lab Support Portal.

2. HPC Lab Support Portal

We design our own HPC Lab Portal based on documents from many sites around the world. The portal is used for HPC Lab related services such as Computing Resources Request, HPCC ID Changes, Services Error Reporting,..

For further information, visit the website: ‘HPC Lab Support Portal’.

3. Computing Resources

The computer system resources available include:

High Performance Computing equipment:

• Master Nodes (2 x DL380 GEN9), used for supervising and managing the computing system.
• Computing Nodes (9 x XL250a GEN9), used for computing and analyzing data.
• Titled Display (12 x 42 inch 1080p Edge-lit LED LCD TV), used for displaying images of visualized data after being computed.
• InfiniBand Switch & Network Switch, used for connecting the computing nodes to the network.
• Software, includes the OS for each node and other management softwares.
• SAN Storage System, used for storing data.

Researching equipment:

• Laptops and Desktops for members visiting the lab.
• Gigabit Switch and Network Cable System, used for connecting the PCs to the network.
• Furniture, consists of several desks and chairs, one air conditioning system and electricity system.

Server Room equipment:

• UPS System.
• Precision Cooling System.
• Server Room Softwares.
• Voltage Source and Surge Protector System.
• Automatic Fire Alarm System.
• Environmental Monitoring System.
• Access Control System.

IV. Rules of Conduct

Participating in behavior or activities that disturb other users or disrupt the operations of the lab is not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to: loud music, talking, or using computer labs for socializing.

• Respect other people when working in the lab.
• Disruptive behavior, such as shouting will not be tolerated.
• Conduct your conversations with others in a quiet manner that will not disturb the work of the other users in the lab. If you become disruptive, you will be asked to leave.
• Audio CDs or applications with audio output may only be used with headphones. If you are using headphones, keep the volume low so that you don’t disturb others working around you.
• All cell phones are to be turned off or set to silent while in the lab. If you receive a phone call, you should exit the lab before answering your cell phone and carry on your conversation somewhere outside the lab.
• Keep the lab clean and organized. Dispose of any trash in the trash can.

Activities prohibited in the lab:

• Eating and drinking are prohibited inside the server room, especially in the areas that consist of electrical equipment.
• Do not work on any computing system without permission or highly specific instructions.
• Do not illegally copy any materials.
• Do not harm or disconnect computer lab equipment.
• Do not plug cables intended for computer workstations into your personal laptop.
• Do not intentionally disrupt service of computers, cables, and peripheral devices.
• Do not remove equipment or take items from the lab.
• Do not attempt to dismantle equipment in the lab.
• Do not install or copy software on any computer in the lab. Software license agreements and copyrights laws will be strictly enforced in the HPC Lab.
• Do not attempt to access private network or system resources.

Exemptions to these rules may be made only by consulting an instructor or the systems administrator.

V. Procedures

For Members:

1. Each member has the responsibility to maintain the lab security. The last person to leave the lab should reorganize the furniture, check for any leftover items, turn off unnecessary power (such as lights, fans) and lock the doors before leaving.
2. Members of the HPC Lab are expected to instruct students to work with the computing system carefully before giving any permission to work independently.

For Students:

1. Students are not allowed to work in the HPC Lab unless a lab member is present. Special arrangements can be made for study groups or students that are under the management of HPC Lab.
2. The Technical Member is available to instruct students in the proper use of equipment and time should be made available during the lab for such instruction.  Students should not use equipment without adequate instruction, and students are responsible for the care of equipment and computing resources.