The NAS New User Orientation guide gives first-time users a brief overview of the high-performance computing (HPC) environment operated by staff in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. It contains all the basic information you must know to get started with using the supercomputing resources and services provided at the facility. Returning users may find the guide useful as a quick refresher.

Throughout this guide you will find links to other NAS Knowledge Base articles to help you become familiar with some of the details needed to navigate the complex NAS environment. You can also use the Knowledge Base to browse FAQs and search for other topics of interest. The resources within the NAS environment are funded through NASA's High-End Computing Capability Portfolio, and the terms "NAS" and "HECC" are used interchangeably throughout the Knowledge Base.

The guide includes the following basic topics:

• Introduction: Covers what you need to know before you begin, some reminders about your responsibilities as a NAS user, and typographic conventions used.
• Environment Overview: Describes the general setup of the NAS/HECC secure environment, including the computing, network, and data storage components and the user environment.
• Basic Tasks: Provides a general description of the tasks that comprise a typical user workflow.
• Understanding and Managing Your Allocations: Summarizes how computing time is calculated, tracked, and charged.
• Helpful Resources: Provides links to help you find more information and summarizes additional services that are provided by NAS experts.

If you still can't find the information you're looking for, the NAS Control Room staff are available 24x7 to provide additional help.

Toll-free Telephone: 800-331-8737
Local Telephone: 650-604-4444
E-mail: support@nas.nasa.gov

Before You Begin

To make the best use of this guide and to perform basic tasks, you must already have done the following:

• Received approval for your request for allocation
• Completed the two-phase user accounts process for NAS systems
• Enabled your RSA SecurID token for two-factor authentication

If you need assistance with any of these items, call the NAS Control Room at the telephone number shown above.

User Responsibilities

When you completed your Account Request Form, you agreed to abide by the NAS Systems Environment Rules of Behavior. Below are a few basic reminders.

• The computing systems are unclassified systems; classified information may not be entered, processed, or stored.
• Users cannot divulge access information (for example, lists of user accounts).
• Users cannot share their account(s) with anyone, including sharing account passwords, providing access via a .rhost entry, or any other means of sharing. If you are found sharing accounts, your accounts will be disabled.
• It is your responsibility to become familiar with various NASA security-related policies.

Conventions Used in This Guide

The following table shows the typographical conventions used in this guide.