HPC+AI Toolkit for Cyfronet users

The training focuses on running and monitoring jobs on the supercomputers. 

This is the most important training for a novice user. The main goal is to showcase the general flow of doing calculations on a supercomputer and present how to configure a job tuned to the problem size and type.

Level

Target audience

Training is intended for users who want to enhance their workflows using at ACC Cyfronet AGH using an assortment of common tools.

Agenda

The training is run in a non-standard format - as several staggered parallel Paths (see graphic below). Each Path is a training with a different trainer and a Q&A session afterwards lasting an hour total. The trainers are experts in the use of a particular tool and are going to demonstrate the use of tool and go through examples with participants. The Paths will be running in separate rooms on the Zoom platform within the same call. The Paths are parallel which means that some of the Paths are running at the same time as others. To minimize the overlap, they are also staggered in such a way that the main parts with demonstrations are never at the same time.

The participants start in the main room of the call on the "Intro" Path. It introduces each of the tools, their common uses and how to access them, but does not cover practical examples. After the "Intro" Path, the same trainer will run the last Path in the main room.

Participants can move from the main room to any room that is currently open and switch between the rooms without notifying the trainers or TAs. Regardless of Paths chosen in the registration form, during the training participants can join any of the Paths as long as they are open.

Paths:

1. "Intro" Path
   1. Introduction - briefly describing each Path.
   2. What is and why use:
      1. JupyterHub,
      2. PLGrid Forge with detailed access instructions,
      3. VSCode,
      4. SSH keys,
      5. Pro-viz.
2. "JupyterHub" Path
   1. Start JupyterHub server
   2. Python libraries
      1. from modules
      2. using a virtual environment
   3. Creating a custom kernel
   4. Manage Jupyter servers
   5. Common issues
   6. Q&A
3. "PLGrid Forge" Path
   1. calling a model from PLGrid Forge
   2. use cases of the models,
   3. creating an agent,
   4. Q&A
4. "VSCode" Path
   1. VSCode connection to the login node,
   2. VSCode on compute nodes through Github authentication:
      1. launching from a script
      2. interactive work with VSCode,
      3. Jupyter through VSCode
   3. VSCode on compute nodes without authentication.
   4. Q&A
5. "SSH keys" Path
   1. How they work? (public + private key pair)
   2. Key pair generation
   3. Managing keys with SSH config
   4. Securing keys with SSH agent
      1. OS-specific configuration
   5. Troubleshooting
   6. Q&A
6. "Pro-viz" Path
   1. Using pro-viz module,
   2. GUI overview,
   3. AMSview example,
   4. pro-viz command options,
   5. VMD demonstration.
   6. Q&A

Requirements

We recommend participating in this training after completing Running Calculations the HPC way training provided at ACC Cyfronet AGH.

Summary of prerequisites

1. PLGrid account,
2. active affiliation,
3. accepting invitation to resources at least a day before training starts,
4. attending the Dry-run,
5. computer equipped with SSH connection.

PLGrid Account

Specify your PLGrid username in the registration form. If you don't have an account, please follow one of our guides:
* https://guide.plgrid.pl/en/portal-for-science/profile,
* https://guide.plgrid.pl/en/portal-for-business/account.

Affiliation

• Check status or activate at https://portal.plgrid.pl/users/affiliations.
• Any researcher affiliated with a Polish academic or scientific institution can access these resources free of charge. The process to obtain an affiliation is fast and can be done through PLGrid Portal alone.
• For participants from industry, business, and commercial entities without an active commercial affiliation, to speed up the activation process, please contact us at training@cyfronet.pl. We will grant you a short-lived affiliation for training purposes.
• This course is co-funded by the European Union. Therefore, the course is open for participants from academia, industry, and public administration from the Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU) and Associated/Other Countries to the Horizon Europe programme.
• In case you have problems, obtaining an affiliation, please contact the organizers at training@cyfronet.pl.

Invitation to resources

• Couple of days before the training, Training Team will be sending invitations to resources in PLGrid Portal at https://portal.plgrid.pl/training_invitations.
• Accepting the invitation allows users to use the resources of the training grant.
• Make sure to activate all the required services too (they are listed on the page of the invitation). Use "participation in a training" as motivation if need be.

Dry-run

• On 26th Oct 2026 at 10:00-11:00 CET, a Dry-run will be held. Attendance will be marked based on Zoom participant list.
• Participants will learn how to log in to the Ares supercomputer before the training and resolve any problems with the Training Team.
• In case you cannot come to the dry-run, please inform us directly at training@cyfronet.pl, otherwise your registration will be cancelled.
• Please attend the dry-run even if your affiliation is not active.

SSH connection

Participants' computers should be equipped with software that allows SSH connections. On Windows, it is recommended to use Windows Terminal (not to be confused with Powershell after checking if OpenSSH is installed (run ssh -V in the terminal). We advise against using Putty.

Venue

The workshop will be conducted online on the Zoom platform. The meeting link will be sent to registered participants.

Language

English

Duration

3 hours

Registration and eligibility

The Registration and the Waiting list close automatically at 23:59 CEST on 22nd Oct 2026. The Registration may close prematurely if the limit number of participants is hit beforehand, but the Waiting List will be available until the deadline above.

Please use your institution's e-mail address. Registrations using generic or private email addresses cannot be accepted. At that e-mail address, you will be contacted with further information.

This course is co-funded by the European Union. Therefore, the course is open for participants from academia, industry, and public administration from the Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU) and Associated/Other Countries to the Horizon Europe programme.

Participants register for the entire event and can specify in what Paths they are interested in. Regardless of Paths chosen in the registration form, during the training participants can join any of the Paths as long as they are open.

Organized by

Funded by

Acknowledgements
EuroCC 3 has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under Grant Agreement No. 101306701. The JU receives support from the European Union‘s Digital Europe Programme and Germany, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, and Kosovo.