All HPC users will be expected to accept the standard Middlebury Code of Conduct relating to information and technology as well as a general set of best practices specific to the cluster. These will be posted on the HPC wiki page. Additionally, faculty who have little or no experience using a shared computing cluster are strongly urged to participate in the periodic training sessions offered by ITS staff and HPC affiliated faculty.
The use of the Ada cluster is governed by all the policies that apply to all of Middlebury’s information technology and the following principles:
- The Ada cluster supports the research and educational missions of Middlebury College. Users agree to only run computational jobs related to those missions. For example, cryptocurrency mining for financial gain or commercial use of the cluster is not appropriate.
- The Ada cluster is a shared resource. Running computations that consume large portions of the cluster for extended periods (including consuming large portions of the available disk space) could prevent others from using this community resource. Exercise care in how you use the Ada cluster to be respectful of other community members’ interest in using the system.
- You are entirely responsible for any data you place on the cluster. You agree that your data management practices are in accordance with Middlebury’s policies and any applicable regulations or agreements (e.g., HIPAA, data use agreements, etc.).
- The Ada cluster is intended for data analysis, not data storage. Data is not backed up. Data that is no longer needed should be promptly deleted to ensure there is sufficient disk space for everyone.
- You agree to respect the privacy of other users (e.g., by not exploring directories owned by other users even if those directories are accessible to you).
- You are expected to report any security incidents or abuse to ITS immediately. (Examples of security incidents include but are not limited to: unauthorized access or use, compromised accounts -including “shared” login credentials, and misuse of data.)
Users whose behavior runs counter to these principles may be asked by cluster administrators to leave the cluster.