Scientific work often involves collaboration, requiring the sharing of data and executables. To facilitate this, the HPC cluster provides Unix groups and storage space on the file systems for each computing time project. This page explains how to use this space and how to work collaboratively with them.

Accessing Project Storage Space

By default computing time projects receive the same amount of storage space on the file systems as users. To access the storage space use the following commands (change <project-id> with the ID of your project):

• $HOME: cd /home/<project-id>/
• $WORK: cd /work/<project-id>/
• $HPCWORK: cd /hpcwork/<project-id>/

Anyone who is a member of the computing time project group can access these directories.

Managing Files and Permissions

Top-level directories (e.g. /home/<project-id>) are configured with the setgid (set group ID) attribute. This ensures that files and directories created within these spaces automatically inherit the corresponding group ownership. Additionally, the default umask is set to 007, which gives group members access and modification rights. This setup ensures that when you create files in the group directories, they are immediately available to all group members.
If you copy files to the shared space, check that the group permissions are correctly set, and modify them with the chmod command if necessary. In addition, when moving files to the shared space, you might also need to change the group ownership with the chgrp command.

Some additional Tipps

•  We do not reccomend adding users to your personal group, as this will grant them read and write permissions to all of your personal directories.
•  You should not revoke group permissions in a group's storage space. This ensures all group members can manage files, even after you leave the project.

Requesting additional Storage Space

If you require additional storage for your computing project, send a request to the IT-ServiceDesk including the following details:

• What is the ID of your compute time project?
• On which filesystem do you require additional space ($HOME, $WORK, $HPCWORK)?
• How much storage space do you need?
• In case of $HPCWORK, do you also need an increase of the file quota and if yes by how much?
• For what duration do you require the additional quota?

Please note that the storage in $HOME is very expensive due to its backup solution. If additional storage is required, we encourage users to first consider a quota increase in $WORK and $HPCWORK.

Applying for a Non-Computing Group

If your work group requires dedicated storage space that is independent of any computing time projects, you can make a request through our IT-ServiceDesk. When applying, please include details about your group's affiliation and the designated owner of the new group.