Ares was recently equipped with a new filesystem, which will take over the role of the scratch space. The new filesystem is significantly faster and allows for significant advancement in computing efficiency. This advantage comes at the cost of the reduced maximum size of space, don't hesitate to contact the helpdesk if this is a significant issue in your case. To fully utilize the new filesystem, we've updated the data retention policy, please consult the information below. New scratch is currently available in early access mode. Both storage systems, new and old, will function for a certain period so that the migration process can go smoothly without interruption of work. Instructions on how to use the new filesystem are included below. In the near future, the new scratch filesystem will be the default, and the old scratch will be decommissioned. If you choose to use the new scratch space please don't use intensively the old one at the same time.
Please note that the new filesystem is still being tuned and optimized, and periods of reduced accessibility might occur.
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- Ensure you don't have any running jobs on the cluster. Queued jobs can be present in the system.
- On the login node, use the "hpc-scratch afscra" command to switch to the new scratch space.
- Terminate any processes on the login node (screen, tmux, etc.), and log out from the machine.
- Log on to the system, execute the "hpc-scratch" command, and make sure that the output says that you are using SCRATCH with a path starting with /net/afscra/
all All done! You are set to use the new scratch space. From now on, the $SCRATCH environment variable points to the new location, and Slurm will create job-specific temporary directories in the new $SCRATCH space.
The hpc-scratch is a utility for displaying information and managing your $SCRATCH environment variable. The old scratch is still available under the full path of /net/ascratch/people/<login>/, and its location is set as the $SCRATCH_OLD environment variable.
There is no synchronization between the new and old scratch space. If the old scratch contains any critical data, please move it to one of the other storage spaces.
Reporting issues
If you encounter any issues while using the new $SCRATCH space, please create a ticket in the helpdesk: https://helpdesk.plgrid.pl/
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