UT HPC Galaxy Terms of Use¶

These Terms of Use describe the conditions for using the University of Tartu High Performance Computing Center's (hereinafter UT HPC) Galaxy instance. Galaxy is an open-source, web-based platform for data-intensive biomedical research, developed by a community of researchers and universities around the world (galaxyproject.org ). It provides researchers with tools and computational resources through an easy-to-use graphical user interface.

These Terms of Use are supplemented by and must be read in conjunction with:

• UT HPC Terms of Service
• UT HPC Privacy Policy
• UT HPC Cluster Terms of Use

In the event of any conflict between these Terms of Use and the documents listed above, the more specific provision shall prevail.

Please contact us in advance at support@hpc.ut.ee to discuss whether the UT HPC Galaxy platform meets the needs and requirements of your project. The User is responsible for compliance with all data processing activities carried out on UT HPC Galaxy.

These Terms of Use take effect upon the User's first login at galaxy.hpc.ut.ee .

Terms¶

• Data - Any data the User processes in the UT HPC Galaxy service.
• Sensitive data - Data that, if exposed, misused, or lost, can cause harm to individuals or provide undue advantages to others.
• User - A natural person who logs in to the UT HPC Galaxy platform.
• Username (public name) - An identifier used alongside with your account linked email address to generate addresses for information shared publicly. Depending on the login method, this is either an ETAIS or a University of Tartu username.
• Cluster - A set of UT HPC servers and other resources that work together as a single system.
• Rocket - The UT HPC main compute cluster.
• ETAIS - The Estonian Scientific Computing Infrastructure is a nationwide e-infrastructure.

Important: Users who have access to UT HPC Galaxy do not automatically have access to UT HPC Cluster compute resources. Without Cluster access, any major compute jobs submitted will fail. The UT HPC Cluster is a paid service and invoices are issued based on resources used. To request Cluster access and learn more about pricing, as well as institutional affiliation pegged free credit please contact support@hpc.ut.ee.

Access and Accounts¶

1. Use of the UT HPC Galaxy platform is only possible through a personal, user-identifiable account.
2. The User may log in using one of two methods:
   1. a University of Tartu user account or
   2. an ETAIS (MyAccessID) user account.
3. Users are not permitted to edit their username (public name).
4. Users who require Cluster compute resources must read and accept the UT HPC Cluster Terms of Use before submitting jobs.
5. Users are responsible for all activities performed under their account on UT HPC Galaxy and, where applicable, on the UT HPC Cluster.

Acceptable Use¶

6. It is forbidden to upload, store, or process files or data in UT HPC Galaxy that violate the laws of the Republic of Estonia, the European Union, or the regulations of the University of Tartu - in particular, copyright laws and personal data protection laws.
7. Users must cite Galaxy in any research that uses or extends the Galaxy platform. For guidance, refer to the Galaxy Community Hub.
8. Users must protect their login credentials at all times.
9. Sharing access to your Galaxy account with others is prohibited.
10. Leaving an active session unattended in a browser window is forbidden.
11. Users must immediately notify UT HPC support of any problems, errors, security vulnerabilities, misuse, or violations related to the UT HPC Galaxy platform or Cluster.

Data Management and Retention¶

12. By default, all User datasets and histories are set to private.
    1. Users may share data libraries and histories with specific other Users or make them "publicly" available, i.e accessible to all users with login access to the current Galaxy instance. Sharing must be done responsibly, read the clause 27 below.
    2. Previously shared data can be reverted to private at any time via the User's account preferences.
13. Users may permanently delete their uploaded data and datasets at any time.
    1. Before permanently deleting datasets and histories, the User must remove all active sharings and set them to private. Otherwise purge will fail and a copy of the data will be retained.
    2. To request deletion of a user account before the conditions in clause 15 apply, the User must submit a request to support@hpc.ut.ee and ensure all data has been deleted beforehand.
14. Please note:
    1. The Delete function only hides datasets and histories from the User's view and it does not remove them from the system. Moving, sharing or copying a History to a new location also retains any deleted datasets associated with that History.
    2. Purged (permanently deleted) data cannot be recovered by either the User or an administrator.
    3. Data stored in the User's Galaxy related SFTP directory will be retained for a maximum of 30 days and may be deleted by a system administrator after this period. The SFTP folder serves solely as a temporary transit buffer and should be cleared by the owner as soon as data has been transferred to a History or Library.
15. UT HPC will delete inactive accounts as follows:
    1. accounts not logged into for one year using less than 10 GB of storage will be deleted;
    2. accounts not logged into for three years using 10 GB or more of storage will be deleted;
    3. before deletion, UT HPC will notify the User by email. If the User does not respond within one month, or if the email bounces, the account will be deleted.
16. UT HPC performs weekly backups of User data (Histories, Libraries, Workflows etc.) in Galaxy.
17. Personal data is processed securely and in full compliance with GDPR principles. For details, refer to the UT HPC Privacy Policy.

Maintenance and Service Availability¶

18. UT HPC will notify Users of all scheduled maintenance at least one week in advance via email.
19. During maintenance, service operation may be temporarily interrupted. Such interruptions do not constitute non-compliance with the service, as they are part of regular operations.
20. The notice period for Galaxy service termination is 30 days.

Security¶

21. UT HPC may regularly scan the Galaxy platform to identify security vulnerabilities, malware, and violations of these Terms of Use.
22. UT HPC reserves the right to suspend any User account at any time if required for security reasons or to ensure the continued operation of the Galaxy platform or Cluster. Any such suspension will be accompanied by a written, reasoned decision.
23. In the event of a suspension, the User has the right to receive information about the reasons and to request reinstatement by contacting UT HPC support.
24. In the event of a violation, UT HPC reserves the right to retain any related information as evidence. Such information will only be disclosed to a third party where required by law.
25. If UT HPC receives a request for assistance with a job, the UT HPC administrator has the right to view log files, job files (including input files), and act in the User's role on the platform.

Responsibilities and Liability¶

26. The User is solely responsible for ensuring that their use of UT HPC Galaxy complies with all applicable laws, University of Tartu regulations, and these Terms of Use.
27. The User is responsible for the content of all data they upload, process, or share through UT HPC Galaxy. If data contains personal data or special categories of personal data (as defined in GDPR Articles 4 and 9), the User is responsible for ensuring it is handled in accordance with applicable data protection law.
28. UT HPC is not liable for any loss, corruption, or unauthorized access to User data arising from the User's own actions, failure to follow these Terms of Use, or events beyond UT HPC's reasonable control.

Changes to These Terms of Use¶

UT HPC reserves the right to amend these Terms of Use as deemed necessary or as required by legislation. Users are required to review the Terms of Use upon each version change. Continued use of UT HPC Galaxy following a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Version control¶

The terms of use are valid from June 10, 2026