Introduction to Using the Shell in a High-Performance Computing Context

This workshop is an introduction to using high-performance computing systems effectively. We obviously can’t cover every case or give an exhaustive course on parallel programming in just two days of teaching time. Instead, this workshop is intended to give students a good introduction and overview of the tools available and how to use them effectively.

By the end of this workshop, students will know how to:

This lesson is part of a 2-day ARCHER2 course, you can find the material for day 2 at Introduction to High Performance Computing.

General Information

Where: This course will be taught in person at The Glassroom, Napier University, Edinburgh. All attendees will be sent the joining instructions prior to the event.

When: 11 April 2023. Add to your Google Calendar.

Requirements: Participants must bring a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they are able to download and run software on. Specifically they should be able to run the portable version of MobaXterm. Alternatively, they should have a few specific software packages installed (listed below). They are also required to abide by the ARCHER2 Training Code of Conduct.

Accessibility: We are committed to making this workshop accessible to everybody. Accessibility details of the venue are outlined here.

Materials will be provided in advance of the workshop. If we can help making learning easier for you please get in touch (using contact details below) and we will attempt to provide them.

Contact: Please email support@archer2.ac.uk for more information.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Requirements

Participants must bring a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they can download and run MobaXterm on. Alternatively, they should have a few specific software packages installed (listed in the Setup section below). They are also required to abide by the ARCHER2 Training Code of Conduct.

Schedule

Setup Download files required for the lesson
09:30 1. Why Use HPC? Why would I be interested in High Performance Computing (HPC)?
What can I expect to learn from this course?
10:00 2. Connecting to the remote HPC system How do I open a terminal?
How do I connect to a remote computer?
What is an SSH key?
10:40 3. Break Break
10:55 4. Moving around and looking at things How do I navigate and look around the system?
11:15 5. Writing and reading files How do I create/edit text files?
How do I move/copy/delete files?
12:00 6. Lunch Break
14:00 7. Wildcards and pipes How can I run a command on multiple files at once?
Is there an easy way of saving a command’s output?
14:50 8. Break Break
15:05 9. Scripts, variables, and loops How do I turn a set of commands into a program?
16:00 Finish

The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.