5.2 Eddie Server Clusters

The University of Edinburgh provides resources and support for research involving high performance computing, including multiple server clusters for storing and analyzing data. Find out more information at https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/ResearchServices/Eddie/.

The clusters should be used if cloud computing costs are a concern. The cluster computing resources are free to researchers, but they are a shared resource among Edinburgh researchers and involve job queues that can potentially delay analyses. Hopefully, most of the analyses typical of projects require a small amount of resources relative to other users of the clusters.

Additionally, the clusters should typically be used if using restricted-use data in research, though this depends on the terms of the data use agreement. Be sure to restrict access to any sensitive data on the clusters by changing the folder and file permissions appropriately.

Some data providers may prefer to use cloud computing services for sensitive data because it may give them greater control over the uses of their data. If needed, these issues about where data can be stored and analyzed should be negotiated and resolved in data use agreements.

A user guide for the clusters can be found at https://gaelic-algorithmic-research-group.github.io/cluster-guide-eddie/.