





             .

                  NCAR - National Center For Atmospheric Research


            _A_d_d_r_e_s_s:
               Visitor/User Information
               NCAR/Scientific Computing Division
               P.O. Box 3000
               Boulder, Colorado 80307-3000

            _E_m_a_i_l: scdinfo@ncar.ucar.edu

            _P_h_o_n_e: (303) 497-1225


            _D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n

            The Scientific Computing  Division  (SCD)  of  the  National
            Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) provides supercomput-
            ing resources and services  that  support  research  in  the
            atmospheric,   oceanographic,   and  related  sciences.   We
            emphasize facilities for the development  and  execution  of
            large  models and for the archival and manipulation of large
            datasets.

            Computer Hardware

               o+  CRAY Y-MP8/864 with 8 processors; CRAY Y-MP2D  with  2
                  processors

               o+  64 Mwords of main memory for the Y-MP8, 16 Mwords  for
                  the Y-MP2

               o+  48 Mword maximum memory per job for batch;  16  Mwords
                  for interactive

               o+  6.0-ns clock for both Crays; a measured peak  rate  of
                  over  1  Gflops  has  been achieved with a multitasked
                  ocean model

               o+  Vector processing hardware for both Crays

            _________________________
            The information in this section is provided  in  accor-
            dance  with the copyright notice appearing at the front
            of this guide.




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               o+  256 Mword SSD for Y-MP8 (1000 Mbyte/sec channel),  128
                  Mword SSD for Y-MP2

               o+  78 Gbytes of local storage for the Y-MP8, 20 Gbytes of
                  local storage for the Y-MP2

               o+  Unix front end

               o+  NCAR Mass Storage System (MSS) is a hierarchical  file
                  storage  system with no limit per user.  The MSS has a
                  120 Gbyte disk farm and  115,000  IBM  3480/3490  car-
                  tridges.  It features a StorageTek 4400 Automated Car-
                  tridge System capable of holding 6,000 cartridges,  or
                  a  terabyte  of information.  Currently, MSS stores 29
                  terabytes of data.  Extremely high  data  transfer  to
                  the Crays; accessible from front end

               o+  Connection Machine 2 (8,000 processors  and  floating-
                  point hardware)

               o+  Gateway for NCAR's Internet Remote  Job  Entry  System
                  (IRJE).   Allows  users to create and submit Cray jobs
                  from their local hosts connected to the Internet. Out-
                  put is automatically shipped back to the remote host


            Application Libraries

            Application libraries and documentation  are  available  via
            the Distributed Software Libraries (dsl) utility.  To access
            dsl, telnet  to  dsl.ucar.edu  and  log  in  as  dsl.   When
            prompted for the password, type software.


            ALFPACK    AMOSLIB*   ECMFFT                  EDA
            EISPACK    EISPKD     FISHPAK                 FITPACK*
            FUNPACK    IMSL*      CRAYFISH*               LINPACK
            FFTPACK    MINPACK    MUDPACK*                NAG*
            ODEPACK    SPHERE     SLATEC                  SSDLIN
            STARPAC*   NCARM      NCARO


            *Documentation only available for these libraries  over  the
            dsl utility.

            Graphics

            NCAR Graphics, Version 3.1



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            Training

               o+  UNICOS Orientation Class: One-day class  to  introduce
                  Unix/UNICOS  programming  tools and the NCAR computing
                  environment.

               o+  Unix Basics Class:  Two-day introduction to the basics
                  of Unix

               o+  Remote site visits are granted to sites with a  signi-
                  ficant number of users

               o+  User conference held every two years to  update  users
                  on new developments and new directions in computing at
                  NCAR

               o+  Site liaison  workshops  held  biennially:  intensive,
                  in-depth presentations on specific aspects of the NCAR
                  computing facility

               o+  NCAR Graphics on and off-site  workshops  and  Fortran
                  optimization workshops


            Collaborative Research

               o+  Real-time computing during field programs

               o+  Classroom grants of computer time

               o+  Computer Hardware, Advanced Mathematics, and Model

               o+  Model Evaluation  Consortium  for  Climate  Assessment
                  (MECCA).   MECCA  is  evaluating  the  reliability  of
                  current global climate simulation models.


            Documentation

               o+  Documentation   available   via   anonymous   FTP   to
                  ftp.ucar.edu.  Listing is in /docs/README file.

               o+  User Documentation Catalog containing references  both
                  to  SCD-supported and vendor documentation.  Available
                  online via anonymous  FTP  to  ftp.ucar.edu  with  the
                  filename /docs/catalog/userdoc.catalog

               o+  Online  documentation  available  for  most   of   the



            October 16, 1992            NNSC        Section 1.4,  Page 3








                  utilities in the supported libraries via dsl

               o+  Scientific Computing Division (SCD) hardcopy  documen-
                  tation available free except for the Graphics manual

               o+  NCAR UNICOS Primer: contains necessary basic  informa-
                  tion  to  begin computing at NCAR.  Uses step- by-step
                  examples to create, submit, and  receive  output  from
                  the Crays

               o+  Daily Bulletin:  Online source of up-to-date  informa-
                  tion on the computing systems

               o+  Newsletter: SCD Computing News (free)

               o+  Annual planning report: Supercomputing: The View  From
                  NCAR

               o+  NCAR Annual Report

               o+  NCAR Annual Scientific Report


            Consulting

               o+  Phone, 8-5 MST weekdays; walk-in consulting  available
                  for  visitors  and  local  users.  Extended consulting
                  available by appointment

               o+  Email consulting available from Internet, BITNET,  and
                  Omnet

               o+  Specialized consulting for  software  libraries,  net-
                  working  and data communications, optimization, multi-
                  tasking, Cray I/O optimization, segmentation (overlay-
                  ing)  of  large  applications,  math  algorithms, NCAR
                  Graphics, IBM PC/AT and Macintosh terminal  emulators,
                  and Unix and UNICOS operating systems

               o+  Visitor  facilities  include  access  24  hrs/day,   7
                  days/week,  SUN Workstations, IBM PCs, and Macintoshes
                  for terminal or standalone use, Canon  microfilm/fiche
                  reader/printers, community telephone for business use,
                  documentation library (including vendor documentation)


            Graphics Support




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               o+  Text and Graphics System for both on-site and off-site
                  users,  providing 16-mm film, 35-mm color slides, 4x5"
                  color film, microfiche, b&w  hardcopy,  and  videotape
                  (VHS, SVHS, Umatic-SP).

               o+  Xerox 4050 laser printers for paper graphical output

               o+  Color hardcopy output is planned soon

               o+  CGM metafile support

               o+  Remote graphics  support  includes  an  NCAR  Graphics
                  translator (ctrans) on the front end

               o+  Output mailed to users at remote sites


            Strengths and Limitations

            Strengths

               o+  High-performance vector processing

               o+  Extensive user support services

               o+  SSD for large I/O applications

               o+  Extensive data archives for  atmospheric  and  oceano-
                  graphic research

               o+  High-volume, fast access mass storage system

               o+  Extremely high volume graphics output capabilities

               o+  Video support and 16-mm movie making

               o+  Remote job entry system


            Limitations

               o+  Few applications outside atmospheric sciences

               o+  Limited memory


            Administrative




            October 16, 1992            NNSC        Section 1.4,  Page 5








               o+  Allocations are open to  university  researchers  with
                  NSF  grants in atmospheric, oceanographic, and related
                  sciences; grant requests are reviewed by a peer review
                  board  composed of NCAR staff and university research-
                  ers

               o+  Allocations are also available to government  agencies
                  on a cost-recovery basis

            _N_e_t_w_o_r_k _A_c_c_e_s_s

            NCAR has access  to  several  national  networks  using  the
            TCP/IP protocol, including NSFNET (backbone node) and NASA's
            Science  Network.

            _W_h_o _C_a_n _U_s_e _T_h_e _C_e_n_t_e_r

            SCD's computing resources are available  to  scientists  and
            researchers  with  NSF  projects in the atmospheric, oceano-
            graphic, and related sciences.  Accounts  must  be  approved
            through  SCD.  Once approved, resources are allocated.  Time
            on the Y-MP8/864 is available to government  agencies  on  a
            cost-recovery  basis.   Users with NSF grants should contact
            John Adams, NCAR/SCD, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder CO  80303,  for
            an application form.


























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