UTHPC Cluster Terms of Use¶

These terms of use describe the conditions for using the University of Tartu High Performance Computing Centre's (hereinafter UTHPC) Cluster environment. To use the Cluster environment of the UTHPC, you must agree to the following terms of use.

Terms¶

• UTHPC - University of Tartu High Performance Computing Centre.
• User or users - UTHPC Cluster users are natural persons with a UTHPC Cluster account.
• Account - UTHPC Cluster account that can be used to log into UTHPC Cluster.
• Cluster - a set of UTHPC servers and other resources that work together as a single system.
• Node - individual server that is configured within a UTHPC Cluster.

General rules¶

1. Using the UTHPC Cluster is possible only through a personal and user-identifiable account.
2. When logging into the UTHPC Cluster, the user will be shown a link to the UTHPC Cluster terms of use and by continuing to use the UTHPC Cluster, it is assumed that the user has read and agreed to all terms of use of the UTHPC Cluster.
3. It’s forbidden to store files/data in the UTHPC Cluster that violate the laws of the Republic of Estonia, the European Union or regulations of the University of Tartu. In particular this refers to copyright laws and data protection laws/regulations.
4. Users must notify UTHPC support immediately of any problems, errors, security holes, misuses and violations of the UTHPC Cluster.
5. UTHPC may regularly scan the UTHPC Cluster to identify security holes, any malware and violation of the terms of use.
6. Login nodes are not intended for computations and resource-intensive processes. Computations and resource-intensive processes should be run as jobs using a queue system. Login node is the environment you get into after logging into the UTHPC Cluster. Login nodes are identified via the message of the day stating that you are currently using a Login node.
   1. Users caught running resource-intensive computations and resource-intensive processes on a login node may have their UTHPC Cluster privileges temporarily suspended until a personal communication with UTHPC support.
   2. UTHPC staff may kill processes running in the login node without any warning to ensure that they do not affect other users.
7. It is prohibited to share access to your account with others.
8. Users are obligated to protect their username, password and SSH keys in accordance with the information security procedures of the University of Tartu.
9. It is forbidden to leave your active terminal unattended.
10. Users are responsible for all activities performed under their account in the UTHPC Cluster.
11. If a user has violated any of UTHPC rules or any other rules of the University of Tartu, the user is held solely responsible for the corresponding violation.
12. In case of any violation, the user’s account access to UTHPC resources will be suspended.
13. UTHPC reserves the right to suspend any user’s account at any time if it’s necessary for security reasons or essential to ensure the operation of the UTHPC Cluster. When using the corresponding right, UTHPC is obligated to formulate a written reasoned decision.
14. In the event of suspension of the user account, the user always has a right to receive additional information about the reasons for suspension of the account and to request it to be reopened by contacting the UTHPC support.
15. In the event of a violation, UTHPC reserves the right to retain any information related to it for use as evidence. Corresponding information will be released to a third party only if the obligation to release the information arises directly from the law.
16. UTHPC may move files from the user's home directory as well as from the project directory and change the files permissions mode without the user's consent and without informing the user in advance, if the user's consent cannot be obtained within a reasonable time or the number of affected users is disproportionately large and it is essential:
    1. to ensure the operation of the UTHPC Cluster,
    2. to ensure the cyber security of the UTHPC Cluster,
    3. to investigate and resolve UTHPC Cluster errors and problems.

Home directory $HOME¶

17. The user's home directory is the directory where the user lands upon logging into the UTHPC Cluster for the first time.
18. Every user has a personal home directory.
19. The user's home directory is only intended for temporary storage of personal files/data and is not intended for long-term storage of files/data.
20. The user's home directory is not intended for collaboration with other users. Project directories must be used for collaboration.
21. The user's home directory is not backed up and the user is responsible for having the necessary backup copies. This means that if the files in the home directory are deleted, destroyed or corrupted, UTHPC may not be able to restore them.
22. The user's home directory quota is by default limited to 2 TB, but can be extended upon request.
23. By default, the Linux permission rights of the home directory is `0700`, which means that only the owner of the home directory can see, read, modify and execute the files in the home directory.
24. The user may not make his home directory or files/data in the home directory visible to other UTHPC Cluster users. This means that you must not change the permissions for your home directory.
25. When the University of Tartu closes the user's account, it’s no longer possible to log in to the UTHPC Cluster and the contents of the user's home directory is archived and deleted at the earliest 6 months but no later than 1 year after archival.
26. It’s forbidden to make a copy of the files/data in project folders into your own or other users home directory.
27. The user’s home directory is private, and UTHPC may not move the files from the user’s home directory to another location and/or change the permissions mode of the files in the user’s home directory without a written consent of the user. The only exception is the right specified in clause 16.

Project directories¶

28. Project directories are intended for collaboration with other users.
29. To create a project directory, please contact UTHPC support.
30. Project directory is a paid service provided by UTHPC. The price list of the service can be found at https://hpc.ut.ee/pricing/ and in case of any questions or problems, please contact the UTHPC support.
31. By default, project directories have no quota limit, but it is possible to set one, if desired.
32. To set the project directory quota limit, please contact the UTHPC support.
33. Subdirectories with different permissions can be created inside of the project directory by the project directory owner.
34. Project directories are regularly backed up and data recovery is possible. For data recovery please contact UTHPC support.
35. By default, project directories are created with the project group as their owner. Therefore, the project group members have read and write permissions on the project directory. Team members must be members of the corresponding project group to access the project.
36. The permissions of the project directory and project subdirectories can be changed as necessary.
37. Content of the project directory must not be made visible to all other users in the UTHPC Custer.
38. If the nature of the project requires the project directory or subdirectories/files/data to be made visible to all other users of the UTHPC Cluster, the UTHPC support must be contacted and notified in advance.
39. For users/projects related to the University of Tartu - since the UTHPC Cluster is intended for research, the entire content of the project directory is considered to be research related and is considered property of the University of Tartu and the respective faculty. Project directory access permissions can be changed by UTHPC according to the needs of the University of Tartu and the respective faculty.
40. For users/projects related to the private sector - the entire content of the project directory is considered property of the respective private company. Project directory access permissions can be changed by UTHPC according to the needs of the respective private company.
41. Closure of a user account associated with a project directory removes the user's access to the project directory, but the project directory will neither be archived nor deleted.

Changes and updates to the Terms of Use¶

UTHPC reserves the right to change and update these terms of use as deemed necessary or should the need arise from legislation. Users are obliged to read the terms of use upon version change to keep themselves up to date with possible changes. Use of the UTHPC Cluster after the terms of use have been changed indicates that the respective user has read, understood, and agreed to the new version of the terms.

Version control¶

The terms of use are valid from January 25, 2024