The following guide is for PIs, Co-PIs, and/or Proxies to prepare for the start of their Director’s Discretionary (DD) project.
Get Started with ALCF’s systems
To help you get your project up and running, view our Getting Started video at: http://bit.ly/Getting_Started_On_Theta
User Support
Email the ALCF User Experience Team at support@alcf.anl.gov or call toll-free (US only) by dialing (866) 508-9181. Our local phone number is (630) 252-3111.
Project Details
Your project begins when you receive an allocation approval email with the following project information:
- Project Short Name: The assigned, shortened name for your project. This will be the name that you’ll use to access your project on the systems
- Allocation System(s) and Amount: The approved system(s) and amount of your allocation in node hours
- Approved Quota: The approved amount of your project directory’s quota
- Allocation End Date: The end date of your allocation
Once your project has been created, you can view and manage your project details at: https://www.alcf.anl.gov/support-center/account-and-project-management/manage-your-team-members.
Helpful project management commands
- myprojectquotas: log into Theta and type this command to view the project directory quotas for ALL your projects
- myquota: log into Theta and type this command to view your home directory quota
- sbank allocation -p <%Project_Shortname%> -r all: log into Theta and type this command to view your project allocation on Theta
More information on using sbank (Allocation Accounting System) can be found at: https://www.alcf.anl.gov/user-guides/sbank
Account Setup
If you have an active ALCF account, please update your information at https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/accountUpdate or reactivate it at https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/accountReactivate.
With an active ALCF account, you can submit a request to join a project at https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/joinProject.
If you do not have an ALCF account, you will need to request one at https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/accountRequest. When prompted for project name, please select your project’s short name.
User Agreement
If you are not an employee of Argonne National Laboratory, a user agreement must be signed by your home institution to perform research at Argonne’s user facilities. This policy applies to every member of the project team who will be conducting research on ALCF resources.
A list of home institutions that have master agreements in place is located on this webpage: https://www.aps.anl.gov/Users-Information/Legal-Financial/Argonne-User-…
ALCF Acknowledgement Form
Every project team member who requests an ALCF account must sign and return an acknowledgement form, stating that they agree to the terms in the user agreement. The form is located at: https://www.alcf.anl.gov/files/Acknowledgement_Form.pdf. Please print, sign, scan and email it to accounts at alcf.anl.gov.
Foreign National Access Request Form
The U.S. Department of Energy has guidelines and requirements for foreign visitors who access its facilities and sites. This guidance is issued in DOE Order 142.3, which is part of Argonne's contract; therefore, all foreign visitors (non-U.S. Citizens) must obtain authorization prior to using ALCF resources.
If you are a foreign national and do not have current authorization credentials, you will require an ANL-593 (Foreign National Access Request) form. It is critical that documentation requests sent by ALCF staff are completed as early as possible to facilitate timely processing for your account approval.
Proxies and Members
As a PI, you have the ability to add members to your project. You can also add up to two Proxies, individuals that are authorized to add or renew project members on your behalf.
As a proxy of a project, you have the authority to:
- Approve and renew accounts.
- Add and delete users to/from the project.
- Approve Foreign Assignment/Visit Request form renewals for project members who are foreign nationals.
During your project setup, the ALCF User Experience Team will request the following information to establish your project members:
The names, email addresses, and/or ALCF usernames (if already existing) of up to two proxies and all project members.
Adding Project Members
The PI or a proxy must approve each member of their team in order to gain access to ALCF resources and run jobs on their project. Users can respond to requests from ALCF for account access approval with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you have an active ALCF account, you can manage your project membership by logging into the following page on the ALCF account and project management website: https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/manageProjects
Accounts for your New Project Members
New project members will need a user account to access project data and to run jobs on ALCF systems. Please instruct any members who do not have an ALCF account to request one at: https://accounts.alcf.anl.gov/#!/accountRequest. When prompted for project name, they should select your project short name.
Policies
Acknowledgment In Publications
Please follow the guidelines provided at https://www.alcf.anl.gov/user-guides/alcf-acknowledgement-policy to properly acknowledge the use of ALCF resources in all of your publications, both online and print.
Facility Policies
Facility policies have been established to provide consistent and reliable services. Please read at: https://www.alcf.anl.gov/user-guides/policies
Requesting Additional Hours
As your allocation expiration date approaches, you may request an extension and/or more hours by filling out the form at https://www.alcf.anl.gov/getting-started/apply-for-dd with your request.
In the "detailed description" field, please answer the following questions:
- What you have accomplished with your original allocation? Please include a brief description of any publications or major presentations that were (or will be) generated, as a result of this Discretionary allocation.
- What will you do with the extra time?
- What you are requesting as your new expiration date? How many new hours you are requesting?