Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Supercomputer Center has launched OnDemand 3.0, a vastly upgraded version of its “one-stop shop” for access to its High Performance Computing services.
This latest version of OSC’s custom-built OnDemand web portal is the first to be based on Open OnDemand, an NSF-funded OSC project to develop an open-source web portal providing advanced web and graphical interfaces for HPC centers.
“We’re currently installing the most powerful supercomputer in the history of the center, but it’s just a roomful of hardware without fast and easy access for our clients,” said David Hudak, interim executive director of OSC. “OnDemand 3.0 provides them with seamless, flexible access to all our computer and storage services.”
With OnDemand 3.0, users can upload and download files, and create, edit, submit and monitor jobs, among its many features. Some of the new features of OnDemand 3.0 include a new and faster file browser app, system status and job apps; remote graphical desktops on OSC clusters; as well as an in-browser terminal app for shell access and support for federated authentication.
In addition to these user features, the Open OnDemand platform also enables developers to create and even share their own web apps with other users, a feature first demonstrated through the AweSim program, a public-private partnership between OSC and industry modeling and simulation experts.
“Open OnDemand is a great step forward in bringing HPC to a wider audience,” said Basil Gohar, manager of OSC’s Web and Interface Applications group. “It’s an open source software that will enable centers anywhere to grant researchers, students and industry partners access to their common and custom services through a web interface rather than traditional command lines and proprietary or custom applications.”
OSC will be demonstrating OnDemand 3.0 and providing training sessions in the coming months.
The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), a member of the Ohio Technology Consortium of the Ohio Board of Regents, addresses the rising computational demands of academic and industrial research communities by providing a robust shared infrastructure and proven expertise in advanced modeling, simulation and analysis. OSC empowers scientists with the vital resources essential to make extraordinary discoveries and innovations, partners with businesses and industry to leverage computational science as a competitive force in the global knowledge economy, and leads efforts to equip the workforce with the key technology skills required to secure 21st century jobs. For more, visit www.osc.edu.
