Getting Support

How to get support or assistance with using the resources at C3SE.

IMPORTANT, Basic guidelines

We very much want to help, and in order for us to do so, there are some basic guidelines we would like you to follow. When sending in a support request

• It is very important that the problem is clearly described
  1. Write a descriptive subject
  2. Typically, in order for us to be able to help you, we would like you to answer the following
     • What were you trying to do?
     • What result or behavior did you expect?
     • What result or behavior did you observe?
  3. When a specific job is involved
     • Include the job's job-ID so that we know which specific job you are referring to
     • Point us to which batch script you used

• Before you send the request, did you include all relevant information?
  • Is there enough information for us to be able to reproduce the problem?
  • Did you include the relevant job-ID(s)?
  • If it is a request to the normal local support queue, consider collecting all relevant data (input files, script files, etc) and copy them to a directory on the cluster

Software requests

If you would like to have some particular program or software package installed on the compute cluster.

1. If the software is only used by you or a very limited group of local users, we recommend that you install the software in your home or group directory
2. If the software is expected to be used by several different users, we can consider assisting with a "system installation"; then consider the following
   • Any license issues must be resolved beforehand; is the program "free open source software" (FOSS)? if it is a closed and/or proprietary software, have you procured the necessary rights?

Different support queues

Depending on the nature of the support request, there are different queues to use.

C3SE support

This is where you normally send your requests. Use the normal C3SE support queue whenever you are experiencing problems with

• Anything that is directly or indirectly related to the underlying compute resource, including
  • Hardware errors, unexpected crashes
  • Problems with running/submitting jobs, software installation requests, problems with software installations
  • Cluster software environment issues, getting started, feature requests...

C3SE account-requst

Whenever you have a question or request which relates to handling user accounts (typically an account creation request).

SNIC application-support

If you have an "advanced" application specific question (unrelated to any specific compute resource), there is the SNIC application-support queue. This queue is typically used for application specific questions that the systems administrator is unable to answer (hypothetical example, "is this tuning parameter in that program really supposed to have this particular effect")

Keep in mind that since this is a national support queue, the support-personnel is spread out all over Sweden, making it crucial to follow the support request guidelines.