Cluster Reservations

The Resnick High Performance Computing Center provides a reservation system with different rules for non-investors and investors.

Non-Investor Reservations

Core Allocation Formula

Available cores are calculated as:

X = Y + (q - c)

Where:

  • Y = 1,000 cores (6.25% of total available)

  • q = 16,000 cores (6-month average queue depth)

  • c = current queue depth in cores

Example Scenarios

Queue Depth

Available Cores

15,500 cores

1,500 cores

16,500 cores

500 cores

> 16,000 cores

Requires approval

Limitations

Limit

Value

Maximum cores per group

3,000 (exceeding requires approval)

Maximum duration

2 weeks (longer requires approval)

Maximum reservations per year

3 (additional requires approval)

Investor Reservations

Investors receive guaranteed reservation capacity equivalent to their investment.

  • No duration limitations on investment cores

  • No frequency limitations on reservations

  • Requests exceeding investment level follow the standard formula

Requesting a Reservation

Contact help-hpc@caltech.edu with:

  1. Number of cores needed

  2. Duration of reservation

  3. Justification (deadline, demo, etc.)

  4. Preferred start date/time

Tip

Plan ahead! Reservation requests should be submitted at least 1-2 weeks in advance when possible.