1.0 Overview
This document defines the policy and guidelines for software installed on systems installed and maintained by the Institute of Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS). It also contains guidance on how additional software can be requested or installed.
Any use of the non-descript systems, platforms and infrastructure are assumed to be part of ICDS cyberinfrastructure.
2.0 Purpose and Scope
This policy details the management and acceptable use of software on ICDS systems. This policy is implemented to ensure fair and equitable access to software and licenses for all ICDS users; it is not intended to inhibit access to software. All software resources are to be used for research or teaching purposes which are sanctioned by the University. Anyone violating this policy, or the policies referenced below, is subject to suspension or termination of their user account.
This policy may be extended or modified as needed. All revised policies will be published online.
3.0 Supported Software
ICDS provides software to enable research on its HPC systems. This includes the operating system, supporting infrastructure, including job submission, and software to enable users to interact with the system. The software supported on the system can be grouped into three categories:
- Operating system and platform software
- ICDS supported software
- Compilers and libraries
3.1 Operating system and platform software
ICDS supports specific operating systems on our platforms. This has included Linux, specifically RedHat Enterprise Linux, with additional drivers to support hardware such as GPU and specific network options available on the system. This software is routinely evaluated for security issues and other bugs and is regularly updated to address potential issues on an ongoing basis. There may be security, stability or other issues that require immediate application of updates.
These updates are evaluated and may be pushed out during planned system outages, or they may be rolled out in other ways which may not require the complete system to be offline while providing updates. In many cases these updates pose a low or very low risk to system operations and system stability and some updates to this software may not be announced.
Additional platform software including OS supplied compilers, network and filesystem drivers and job scheduling software, user interface software, including portal, editors and other base software will be updated as needed to address system stability, security and compliance with regulations from Penn State and other entities.
3.2 ICDS supported software
In addition to the base platform, ICDS provides additional software, which may not be generally included with the operating system for performing research on supported systems. This software includes:
3.2.1 Compilers and libraries available to all users
ICDS supports various compilers and libraries to enable users to develop and build software for use on ICDS supported systems. This may include commercial and open-source compilers and libraries. These are generally made available to all users and will be updated routinely.
3.2.2 Domain software, including commercial software
Additionally, ICDS provides other software packages, including both open-source and commercial software for use on the systems we operate and support. This may require the installation and maintenance of license servers to enable the supported software to run on our system.
License servers maintained and operated by ICDS are intended to support software running on Roar systems and are prohibited from running the software anywhere else.
3.2.3 Custom software provided to specific research groups through Service Level Agreements with ICDS
ICDS staff are available, with an appropriate service level agreement (SLA), to provide support for research groups to assist in compiling, installing and supporting additional software packages for specific research groups. The service agreement will describe the scope of work, the level of support and the expected assistance.
3.3 User supported software
Users can install, configure and support additional software needed by their research in their own storage allocations. This software must comply with all ICDS policies, including honoring any copyright and licensing requirements of installed software.
ICDS staff can provide “best effort” support to answer questions for user software installation and maintenance. Please consult with ICDS if you need support installing or maintaining your software.
3.4 User purchased software licenses on ICDS resources
- If the application (standalone or module in existing app) will be available to other Roar compute users, then no cost to deploy and operate.
- If the application (standalone or module in existing app) will be locked to PI group(s) then the cost to deploy and operate would be the cost of a VM per year to be paid by faculty.
- The user will purchase licenses directly from vendor in either case and send us the license file in case of standalone application or ask vendor to send us updated license file in case of module purchase.
- The user group will be responsible for complying with the terms and conditions of the software.
4.0 Guidelines , Responsibilities and Policies
All software and use of ICDS systems are subject to Penn State, ICDS and other policies. ICDS systems are intended to support research and education, consistent with the mission of both Penn State and ICDS.
4.1 ICDS Software Updates
ICDS routinely installs updates to the software we support. Major releases will be announced to users and information will be provided to users of the expected changes.
4.2 ICDS Software Removal
ICDS routinely evaluates software installed on the system and may remove software for various reasons, including licensing restrictions, (when software vendors no longer provide licenses for a specific version, etc.) security concerns, software stability or compatibility with other necessary software, devices or drivers. For example, some software vendors may only allow specific versions of software to use licenses, making the other versions stop functioning.
4.3 Security and System stability
Software which may compromise system stability or security will be disabled and/or removed from the system. ICDS operates systems that are shared between several users. No single user has exclusive use of the shared resources (networks, storage, submit nodes etc.) Users who attempt to circumvent security policy or operate in a way that adversely impacts system stability of performance, may have their accounts disabled.
4.4 License and Copyright compliance
All software installed on ICDS systems is expected to comply with all software licenses and copyrights. ICDS does not permit software that attempts to bypass security, licensing, or copyrights. Users and researchers are responsible for all software installed in their storage areas. Software found to violate these requirements will be disabled or removed.
4.5 Requesting ICDS support
Users desiring assistance with ICDS supported software should submit requests through the Client Support help desk. Requests for ICDS to install and support additional software or to add support for new or additional software versions should be submitted to the Client Support help desk. ICDS will review and prioritize these requests.
Requests for additional software versions, or for new software should be submitted well in advance of the summer or winter release dates. Requests that are unable to be accommodated in the next release will be considered for a future software release.
At times, new releases and updates can be rolled out for specific cases outside of the normal release schedule. These updates or software releases may not be fully supported for all users until additional testing has taken place.
4.6 Researcher responsibilities
ICDS researchers and users are responsible for using the system with the understanding that the system is shared among many users. Users are expected not to use the system in a way that adversely impacts other users.
Researchers are expected to comply with all software licensing and access requirements, including any requirements for protecting source code or executables from those not authorized to use or view the software.
The systems and software provided by ICDS are intended for research and education purposes and users are expected to use them only for those purposes. Use of the system for personal gain or to exploit other systems is not appropriate. Users who attempt to circumvent policies or security controls, or who continue to negatively impact the shared resources on the system will be subject to their account being suspended or revoked.
Users and researchers are expected to comply with all other Penn State agreements, including academic license agreements that require users to comply with U.S export control laws and regulations.
Upon request, researchers must furnish proof of licensing and policy compliance.
4.7 ICDS Responsibilities
ICDS regularly updates software and systems to provide a secure and stable platform for research, including the platform software, and applications available on the system. Client Support provides support to users and to answer requests for changes to the software supported by ICDS. Initial requests for help and support from ICDS should be submitted through the Client Support help desk.
While ICDS will attempt to address user concerns and provide support to users with software installation questions, The amount of support ICDS is able to provide is limited to general best effort help and suppor t. Additional support to install, configure and maintain custom software for research groups can be obtained through a service level agreement (SLA) with ICDS to cover the cost for additional engineering support.
5.0 Waivers and Exceptions
Waivers and exceptions to this policy should be coordinated through ICDS . Waivers and exceptions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Software Stack modification timeline
- Additional software support or resources needed that are not captured in the Service Level Agreement (SLA)
These exceptions go through the ICDS exceptions process.
6.0 Reference
This policy applies to any person who utilizes resources that are provided and managed by ICDS. In the absence of specific ICDS policies, Pennsylvania State University policies apply. This policy augments the following Pennsylvania State University and ICDS policies:
University Policies
- AD11 – University Policy on Confidentiality of Student Records
- AD95 – Information Assurance and IT Security
- AD96 – Acceptable Use of University Information Resources
- HR102 – Separation and Transfer Protocol
- RA40 – Compliance with Federal Export Regulations for Sponsored Research Efforts
ICDS Policies
- ICDS P020 – User Account Policy
- ICDS P030 – Data Protection and Retention Policy
- ICDS P060 –SLA Terms and Conditions Policy