On the TeraGrid, how are compute jobs charged?

Computational resources on the TeraGrid are allocated and charged in service units (SUs). SUs are defined locally on each system, with conversion factors among systems based on HPL benchmark results (see the TeraGrid SU Conversion Calculator).

Current TeraGrid supercomputers have complex multi-core and memory hierarchies. Each resource has a specific configuration that determines the number (N) of cores that can be dedicated to a job without slowing the code (and other user and system codes). Each Resource Provider (RP) defines for its system the minimum number of SUs charged for a job running in the default batch queue, calculated as wallclock runtime multiplied by N. For the minimum charges on TeraGrid resources that use this calculation, see the table below.

Note: The actual charge will depend on the specific requirements of your job (e.g., the mapping of the cores across the machine, or the priority you wish to obtain). Consult each system's user guide for details. If you have questions, contact  help@teragrid.org .

Note: The minimum number of cores that can be allocated for NSTG is one. Users can use only one core of the dual cores, and are charged for only one core.

Since the TeraGrid has expanded to provide a variety of resources in addition to computing cycles, not all TeraGrid allocations are requested in SUs. For example, requests for storage are now made directly in terabytes, rather than converted to SUs. Based on estimates of the cost to provide resources and services, non-computational resources are also categorized into developmental, medium, and large requests, which are reviewed by different committees.

This document was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0503697 to the University of Chicago and subcontracted to Indiana University. Additional support was provided by IU through its participation in the TeraGrid, which is supported by the NSF under Grants No. 0833618, SCI451237, SCI535258, and SCI504075. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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