As CentOS 7 reaches the end of its lifecycle, ACCRE is taking proactive steps to ensure that our research community continues to thrive with a modern and reliable computing environment. We are excited to announce the launch of a pre-production environment for Rocky 9 Linux, designed to provide enhanced security, stability, and flexibility for your workflows. This transition represents a critical upgrade to our systems, and your participation in testing and providing feedback is essential to ensuring a smooth migration.
Why Test Your Workflows in Rocky 9?
Testing your workflows in the Rocky 9 environment is a crucial step in preparing for the transition. It allows
you to:
- Verify Compatibility: Ensure that your scripts, tools, and software function as expected.
- Identify Potential Issues Early: Testing provides an opportunity touncover and resolve compatibility issues before
the full transition. - Optimize Your Workflows: With updated software stacks and improved
resource management, you can explore new efficiencies and enhancements for your research.
If you’re unsure how to begin testing your workflows, consider the following:
- Start with Key Workflows: Identify workflows critical to your research and test them first.
- Monitor Performance: Pay attention to any changes in runtime, resource utilization, or errors.
- Document Findings: Share feedback about any unexpected behavior or suggestions for improvement in the #r9-testing-feedback channel on Slack.
Stay Informed: What’s New in Pre-Production?
The Rocky 9 pre-production environment offers a range of new features and improvements:
- Updated Software Stack: Simple commands allow you to access the latest research tools with the flexibility to add additional software as needed.
- SLURM Scheduler: While the primary partition is now the “batch” partition, other scheduling functionalities remain the same for now. Future updates, such as new interactive session options, will be announced soon.
- Enhanced Functionality: ACCRE is actively tuning the environment to ensure optimal performance. Look out for future posts highlighting new features and improvements.
Legacy Environment Accessibility
For those not yet ready to transition fully, the CentOS 7 environment remains available for now. This ensures continuity of your current work while you plan and test your workflows in the new Rocky 9 environment.
How to Get Started in R9
- No separate ACCRE password is required. Your current University VUnet ID and password will be used going forward.
- To login:ssh <your_vunetid>@login.accre.vu
- If your primary appointment is with VUMC and you do not have a current University VUnet ID and password, see here: [VUMC dual-identity].
- In the event your dual-identity does not match you existing ACCRE ID, please open a [helpdesk ticket] for assistance migrating your ACCRE ID.
Stay Engaged
We appreciate your patience and support during this transition. Your feedback is vital to tuning the environment, identifying issues, and ensuring that the system meets your needs. Be on the lookout for future posts detailing increased functionality, new features, and updates as we continue to refine the Rocky 9 environment.
For questions or feedback, please visit the #r9-testing-feedback channel in the ACCRE Slack forum or consult the ACCRE wiki. Together, we can make this transition smooth and set the stage for an enhanced research computing experience.
Best regards,
The ACCRE Team