Storage & Quota

Contact support if you have any questions or concerns not addressed here.

BeeGFS

BeeGFS is a parallel file system available on all nodes and mostly used (e.g. for the home directory). Each user has a personal quota, which limits additional files that can be written once reached.

Check your quotas: Your personal quota and group allocations (chair, research, project) are displayed at login.

• Size: Total amount of disk space allocation.
• Chunk Files: Number of fixed-size chunks (512KB for home directory, else 1MB each) allocated for storing data. In BeeGFS, large files are broken down into these fixed-size chunks to optimize storage performance by enabling parallel transfers to and from servers.

Temporary Files

When using temporary files on HSUper, be mindful of their impact:

Direct Writes to /tmp

Avoid writing directly to /tmp as this consumes valuable memory (RAM). Instead, use environment variables (see Useful Environment Variables) for better management.

Using /scratch

The /scratch directory is available on all nodes. While convenient, be aware that files stored here will count towards your personal quota.

Local Scratch

On GPU and login nodes, a local SSD provides shared local scratch storage. When using this resource:

• Delete all data after job completion or compilation.
• Utilize the $SLURM_TMPDIR environment variable (see Useful Environment Variables) to automatically delete files after job completion.

Handling Many Small Files, Many Read / Writes

BeeGFS performance deteriorates (for everyone) while handling many read/writes of many small files or the same file in a short period of time. Consider using formats like HDF5 or tar instead. If you cannot change the behaviour, copy the file(s) to memory (RAM) or local file systems, if available.

For better performance on GPU nodes, use the local file system with $SLURM_TMPDIR (see more information).

Sharing Data and Collaboration

Use project folders ($PROJECT or /beegfs/project/) to work together on shared data. To request access to or create a new project folder, use the ticket system.

Sharing Data with Everyone

To share data from project folders with everyone, the project folder itself needs execute permissions for “others.” This requires administrator rights. Request permission by sending an email or ticket.

Increasing Your Quota

Consider using project folders in /beegfs/project/, which have an independent quota separate from user quotas. To request access to or create a new project folder, use the ticket system.

Backup and Recovery

Deleted files are permanently lost. Make backups of important data to ensure its safety!

Best Practices

• Optimize file storage: Avoid writing many small files.
• Organize your directories: Keep them tidy and compact.
• Leverage environment variables: Use available environment variables to streamline your workflow.
• Plan ahead: Transfer important data before losing access to HSUper. Delete unnecessary data from file systems.
• Make backups: Regularly back up important data to prevent loss in case of an unexpected event.