Slate-Scratch high performance file system: Terms of service

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Last updated: July 6, 2021

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1. Overview

1.1 General

  • The Slate-Scratch high performance storage system is Indiana University's Lustre file system providing temporary storage in support of computation on IU's supercomputers.
  • This document provides guidelines for the use of Slate-Scratch, including the Data Purge policy, which apply to all Users and the Service Provider.
  • This document is subject to change and may be modified at any time by UITS Research Technologies (UITS-RT).
  • Communication will be sent to all Slate-Scratch Users when modifications to this document are made.
  • If Users fail to operate within the guidelines of the terms of service, access to Slate-Scratch may be revoked.

1.2 Terms and definitions

  • Slate-Scratch: The Slate-Scratch file system
  • Users: All users of Slate-Scratch; by using the Slate-Scratch system, Users agree to the terms outlined in this document
  • Service Provider: The High Performance File Systems (HPFS) group of UITS-RT that manages and provides support for Slate-Scratch
  • Slate-Scratch Space: A directory created by the Service Provider for use by the requesting User; Slate-Scratch Spaces will have the following naming convention: /N/scratch/username (username will be replaced by the IU username of the requesting User)
  • Quota: Users will be allowed to store up to 100 TB of data on Slate-Scratch, subject to the Data Purge policy described below.
  • Inode quota: The inode quota limits the number of files and directories that a user can create. A single user may not create files and directories whose aggregate count exceeds 10 million.
  • Data Purge: The Data Purge policy, applicable to all Slate-Scratch Users and enforced by the Service Provider, as described below.

2. Service description

2.1 Slate-Scratch

  • Slate-Scratch provides temporary high performance storage to users of IU's research supercomputers.
  • Slate-Scratch is a shared resource designed to be used for computational activity by the High Performance Systems
  • Slate-Scratch Spaces are storage allocations created upon account creation and are intended solely to support computation.
  • Slate-Scratch is operated and maintained by the Service Provider.
  • With the exception of scheduled maintenance, Slate-Scratch is generally available 24x7.
  • Slate-Scratch participates in the scheduled UITS-RT maintenance window from 7am to 7pm US/Eastern time zone, on the second Sunday of the month. Slate-Scratch will typically be unavailable during the maintenance period
  • If Slate-Scratch requires extended maintenance or unplanned emergency maintenance, notifications are posted to Status.IU.

  • Data stored on Slate-Scratch are not backed up in any way, shape, or form by Research Technologies or any other entity in UITS.

  • User data on Slate-Scratch that has not been accessed in 30 days will be deleted from the file system without notification. To ensure the availability and performance of Slate-Scratch, once the file system exceeds 80% of capacity, user files will be removed, moving from the oldest toward the newest until file system use has dropped below 80%.

3. Roles and responsibilities

3.1 Users

  • Users are not allowed to store all data classified as "IU Critical"; only the subset of critical data elements that satisfy the definition of PHI may be stored on Slate-Scratch.
  • Users are allowed to store sensitive data, such as electronic protected health information (ePHI or HIPAA-protected data), on Slate-Scratch in accordance with the following guidelines:
  • Users will monitor and respond to email sent to their primary IU email address for official communications from UITS-RT about their Slate-Scratch Space.
  • Users of Slate-Scratch are responsible for their use of all UITS resources under Appropriate Use of Information Technology Resources (IT-01). Specifically, as regards the use of Slate-Scratch, Users must not store data which is illegal or protected under state and/or federal regulations. If a User becomes aware of data having been stored on Slate-Scratch that violates this provision, that person shall contact it-incident@iu.edu.
  • Users acknowledge and agree that if a catastrophic disaster occurs, resulting in complete data loss, Slate-Scratch files will not be recoverable by the Service Provider. Users are responsible for backing up and/or archiving their data. Slate-Scratch is not backed up nor archived by the Service Provider. Users should move their computational results off of the Slate-Scratch file system as soon as possible to avoid data loss, incorporating data movement into their job submission scripts when possible. For help extending your job scripts or workflows to incorporate data movement, contact the UITS Research Applications and Deep Learning team. Information about the IU Scholarly Data Archive, which Users can use to archive their data, can be found here: About the Scholarly Data Archive (SDA) at Indiana University. Modifying file access times in an attempt to circumvent the above purge policies will result in the loss of access to Slate-Scratch.

3.2 Service Provider

  • The Service Provider will administer the Slate-Scratch system using best practices for security, performance, and availability. In particular, strict adherence to the privacy provisions outlined in Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07) will be maintained as it is on all UITS systems.
  • The Service Provider will monitor all email to the address hpfs-admin@iu.edu for all operational communication from Slate-Scratch Users concerning the Slate-Scratch storage system and their use of the service.
  • The Service Provider will enforce the Data Purge policy.
  • The Service Provider will provide support to Slate-Scratch Users on UITS-RT's recommended tool set for the storage and access of Slate-Scratch data.
  • The Service Provider reserves the right to suspend a User's access to the Slate-Scratch Space in the following non-exhaustive circumstances:
    • As required by law or regulation
    • As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion is necessary to protect Slate-Scratch from unauthorized access or damage to its content
    • As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion that the User's use of Slate-Scratch is illegal, infringes upon the intellectual property rights of a third party, or otherwise violates the restrictions, representations, or warranties herein
    • As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion that the User's use of Slate-Scratch may subject Indiana University to civil or criminal liability
    • For the purpose of Emergency Problem Resolution as defined in section 4.a. of Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07).
  • If the User's account is disabled by UITS, the Service Provider will remove the User's data residing on Slate-Scratch after 30 consecutive days of account deactivation.

4. Data Purge

User data on Slate-Scratch that has not been accessed in 30 days will be deleted from the file system without notification.

To ensure the availability and performance of Slate-Scratch, once the file system exceeds 80% of capacity, user files will be removed, moving from the oldest toward the newest until file system use has dropped below 80%.

Users should move their computational results off of the Slate-Scratch file system as soon as possible to avoid data loss, incorporating data movement into their job submission scripts when possible. For help extending your job scripts or workflows to incorporate data movement, contact the UITS Research Applications and Deep Learning team.

Modifying file access times in an attempt to circumvent the above purge policies will result in the loss of access to Slate-Scratch.

When the User's account is disabled by UITS, the user's data residing on Slate-Scratch will be removed by the Service Provider after 30 consecutive days of account deactivation.

5. Hours of support

  • The Service Provider will monitor all email to the address hpfs-admin@iu.edu for all operational communication Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm, with the exception of university holidays.
  • The Service Provider will respond to email inquiries within one business day.
  • During unexpected services outages, the Service Provider will work after business hours to the best of their ability to restore service.

6. Service retirement

  • UITS-RT reserves the right to retire the system at the end of the system's life cycle. Users will be provided at least 180 days' notice before any decommissioning.

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Last modified on 2024-01-25 09:59:24.