VACC-VBRN

July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024 | https://www.uvm.edu/vacc | vacc@uvm.edu

The Vermont Advanced Computing Center (VACC) provides state-of-the-art high-performance research cyberinfrastructure, including data storage and high-performance computing (HPC) software tools, along with professional staff support for researchers. Whether you want to run computational simulations, analyze large-scale data, or testbed your code before scaling up to national clusters, the VACC can help accelerate your results for proposals, publications, and the scientific enterprise.

Through this program, VBRN partner institution researchers would get free access to the VACC for one year through an institutional account paid for by VBRN. Please contact VBRN (vbrn@uvm.edu) to be referred to the appropriate campus VBRN Research Coordinator who will serve as the VACC account owner (PI).

Each PUI (primarily undergraduate institution) faculty member will become a “sponsored user” and will have the following benefits free of charge:

• Access to VACC IT staff to discuss getting started using the cluster, its software, data organization, and other workflow topics that should be addressed before beginning work.
• Access to either GPU or CPU compute nodes (computers) to run computational research
• Technical support for regular operations on the cluster is available from VACC IT staff by e-mail vacchelp@uvm.edu or you can Join the VACC “Virtual Cafe” office hours to ask questions about VACC services, research computing, or just to say hi and meet some of the VACC staff, https://www.uvm.edu/it/research-computing-events.

For those new to high-performance computing, it can be daunting to start using a cluster. We recommend new users begin with the Cluster User Guide (https://www.uvm.edu/vacc/docs) to learn the basics of batch processing, connecting to the cluster, running a job, and more. For information on VACC cluster specifications please visit: https://www.uvm.edu/vacc/cluster-specs.

At the end of the trial year, the PUI researcher can continue using the VACC for their research by applying for a VACC PI account. The PUI researcher and their home institution will be responsible for payment to UVM/VACC for continued use of the cluster and services and will be able to sponsor users of their own.

There are two “tier” options for external users and research facilitator services. Please see the VACC Cost and Paymentpage for full details and current costs. Two cost options are currently available:

• Tier 2: Over 250,000 CPU hours, 8 TB regular and 15 TB temporary disk for $1,000 annually (as of July, 2026).
• Tier 3: Over 3 million CPU hours, 20 TB regular and 35 TB temporary disk for $4,000 annually (as of July, 2026).

Additional technical support for making the transition from a sponsored user to being a PI is available via e-mail to vacchelp@uvm.edu, via the online office hours, and by special arrangement.

PIs will have their own storage space, so consultation about transferring from the VBRN coordinator’s storage to the PI’s is available.  In addition, assistance with sponsoring users of their own, and organizing data and software for group access is offered.

If you would like to give the VACC a try by becoming a sponsored user, that should be arranged through your VBRN Coordinator and/or VBRN (vbrn@uvm.edu).

If you want to apply for a VACC PI account (independently of the trial through the VACC-VBRN Find and Explore Program) visit the Applying to be a VBRN PI page. Our contact at the VACC for administrative matters and payment is Andrea Elledge, VACC Executive Director (aelledge@uvm.edu)