The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) has released version 4.0 of Open OnDemand, a web-based client portal used by high performance computing (HPC) centers around the globe, to offer clients new ways to customize and manage their work.
Launched in 2017 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Open OnDemand is deployed at thousands of sites in more than 100 countries, including public and private academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private industries. The portal features a simple web browser interface that gives users access to HPC center resources from any device at any time. OSC estimates that Open OnDemand actively supports at least half a million researchers and students who use HPC for discovery and innovation in a variety of disciplines.
OSC’s Open OnDemand developers have worked with HPC community members at institutions such as Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science and CSC – IT Center for Science in Finland to make advancements to the platform to help research computing centers better customize features for their unique users and enhance system operations.
“The global research computing community actively provides input on Open OnDemand and recommends new features for the platform,” said Alan Chalker, OSC director of strategic programs. “Each new Open OnDemand version release has helped more institutions promote adoption of HPC in their research and educational programs.”
Version 4.0 of Open OnDemand offers significant enhancements, new features and dependency updates:
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Support for required announcements and additional support for dismissible announcements.
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Updates to the file editor interface for a seamless, consistent design.
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Enhanced XDMoD job efficiency widget with metrics for CPU, memory and elapsed time.
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Improved control and customization of interactive applications through user-specified saved settings.
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Better guidance in interactive application forms through additional text headers.
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Enhanced system operations through removal of PUNs and files for disabled users via the nginx clean method.
Full release notes can be viewed at openondemand.org/releasenotes.
Open OnDemand users have several opportunities to engage with OSC developers and the global research community:
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The inaugural Global Open OnDemand (GOOD) conference will be held March 17-20, 2025, at Harvard University. Users and developers can attend tutorials, talks, keynote sessions and networking events. OSC will host a Sprint to help more users get involved with the development of the platform. Registration is now open.
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The HPC community is invited to join a “Tips and Tricks” webinar at 1 p.m. ET on the first Thursday of every month to share best practices for setting up and using Open OnDemand.
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The Open OnDemand development team also hosts Zoom open office hours from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. ET on the second Tuesday of every month to field questions and suggestions.
To learn more about how to install, run, get support for or contribute to Open OnDemand, visit openondemand.org.
The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) 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 services essential to making 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 for 21st century jobs.
