Altair Case Studies PBS Works Suite: Enhancing Workload Management at The University of Nottingham

	PBS Works Suite: Enhancing Workload Management at The University of Nottingham Altair

PBS Works Suite: Enhancing Workload Management at The University of Nottingham

Altair

Technology Category	Automation & Control - Human Machine Interface (HMI)
Applicable Industries	Education Life Sciences
Applicable Functions	Facility Management Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Inventory Management Smart Campus
Services	System Integration
Challenge	The University of Nottingham, a world-class institution, is home to over 43,000 students and more than 100 research groups. The University's high-performance computing (HPC) facility supports research in various fields such as Science, Medicine, and Engineering. However, the University faced a challenge in managing the diverse computational workload efficiently. The HPC Service Manager, Dr. Colin Bannister, was keen on maximizing the benefits from the University's investment in HPC equipment. The University needed a powerful, flexible workload management suite that could ensure efficiency, usability, and performance. The desired system should enable efficient scheduling of computational workload, monitor and analyze workload, provide an easy-to-use interface, and produce straightforward management reports. Read More
About Customer	The University of Nottingham is a globally recognized institution, committed to providing a truly international education, inspiring students, and producing world-leading research. The University benefits the communities around its campuses in the UK, China, and Malaysia. It is home to over 43,000 students, more than 9,000 of them postgraduates. The University of Nottingham's position as a world-class University is confirmed by its ranking in the UK and European top 30 and by its position in the top 1 per cent of all universities worldwide. The University is committed to investing in its infrastructure and staff to support its researchers and their goals. The University's high-performance computing (HPC) facility underpins research in the areas of Science, Medicine, and Engineering. Read More
Solution	The University of Nottingham conducted a detailed requirements specification to determine the best HPC workload management system. They found that the PBS Works suite, which includes PBS Professional, PBS Analytics, and Compute Manager, was the best fit for their criteria. The University had previously been using the Sun Grid Engine scheduler, which lacked equivalent features to Analytics or Compute Manager. Altair, the provider of PBS Works, prepared a proposal for configuring the system based on the University's 'HPC Policy' document. The HPC staff within the central IT at the University of Nottingham now run the PBS Works system. All users of HPC use PBS Professional to submit and monitor their jobs, while the HPC staff use PBS Analytics for analyzing workload data on the system. The University is also preparing to roll out the use of Compute Manager. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Automation & Control - Human Machine Interface (HMI)

Applicable Industries

Education

Life Sciences

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Inventory Management

Smart Campus

Services

System Integration

Challenge

The University of Nottingham, a world-class institution, is home to over 43,000 students and more than 100 research groups. The University's high-performance computing (HPC) facility supports research in various fields such as Science, Medicine, and Engineering. However, the University faced a challenge in managing the diverse computational workload efficiently. The HPC Service Manager, Dr. Colin Bannister, was keen on maximizing the benefits from the University's investment in HPC equipment. The University needed a powerful, flexible workload management suite that could ensure efficiency, usability, and performance. The desired system should enable efficient scheduling of computational workload, monitor and analyze workload, provide an easy-to-use interface, and produce straightforward management reports.

About Customer

The University of Nottingham is a globally recognized institution, committed to providing a truly international education, inspiring students, and producing world-leading research. The University benefits the communities around its campuses in the UK, China, and Malaysia. It is home to over 43,000 students, more than 9,000 of them postgraduates. The University of Nottingham's position as a world-class University is confirmed by its ranking in the UK and European top 30 and by its position in the top 1 per cent of all universities worldwide. The University is committed to investing in its infrastructure and staff to support its researchers and their goals. The University's high-performance computing (HPC) facility underpins research in the areas of Science, Medicine, and Engineering.

Solution

The University of Nottingham conducted a detailed requirements specification to determine the best HPC workload management system. They found that the PBS Works suite, which includes PBS Professional, PBS Analytics, and Compute Manager, was the best fit for their criteria. The University had previously been using the Sun Grid Engine scheduler, which lacked equivalent features to Analytics or Compute Manager. Altair, the provider of PBS Works, prepared a proposal for configuring the system based on the University's 'HPC Policy' document. The HPC staff within the central IT at the University of Nottingham now run the PBS Works system. All users of HPC use PBS Professional to submit and monitor their jobs, while the HPC staff use PBS Analytics for analyzing workload data on the system. The University is also preparing to roll out the use of Compute Manager.

Impact #1	The implementation of the PBS Works suite has significantly improved the University's workload management needs. The suite's full, integrated set of capabilities, offered from a single vendor with excellent support, was the best solution for the University's users. As the University prepares to roll out Compute Manager, it is expected that the web-based job submission portal will broaden the use of the HPC, especially for those who find the command line interface inefficient. Altair continues to collaborate with the University of Nottingham, responding to their questions and suggestions, ensuring the solution continues to meet the needs of the University's hundreds of users.

Impact #1

The implementation of the PBS Works suite has significantly improved the University's workload management needs. The suite's full, integrated set of capabilities, offered from a single vendor with excellent support, was the best solution for the University's users. As the University prepares to roll out Compute Manager, it is expected that the web-based job submission portal will broaden the use of the HPC, especially for those who find the command line interface inefficient. Altair continues to collaborate with the University of Nottingham, responding to their questions and suggestions, ensuring the solution continues to meet the needs of the University's hundreds of users.

Benefit #1	Improved cluster reliability
Benefit #2	More successful job completion
Benefit #3	Simplified job submission and management

Benefit #1

Improved cluster reliability

Benefit #2

More successful job completion

Benefit #3

Simplified job submission and management

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Overview

PBS Works Suite: Enhancing Workload Management at The University of Nottingham

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit