Using the lsst-devl Servers

lsst-devl is a set of servers run by NCSA for Rubin Observatory development work.

This page is designed to assist developers in their work on the lsst-devl servers:

  1. Overview

  2. Connecting and Authenticating

  3. Common Software Available

  4. CRON Jobs

Overview

The lsst-devl nodes can be used for software development, new batch job submissions, and longer running interactive work. Intensive work requiring high CPU/memory usage, long running jobs, storage IO, etc. should be performed from lsst-devl nodes rather than the lsst-login nodes. There are 3 nearly identical lsst-devl servers to choose from:

  • lsst-devl01.ncsa.illinois.edu (Intel, 24core, 256G RAM)

  • lsst-devl02.ncsa.illinois.edu (Intel, 24core, 256G RAM)

  • lsst-devl03.ncsa.illinois.edu (AMD, 32core, 256G RAM)

To report system issues, please submit an IHS ticket tagging NCSA as the responsible organization.

Connecting and Authenticating

The lsst-devl nodes can be accessed after first connecting to the lsst-login nodes. Once connected to an lsst-login node, a user can connect to a lsst-devl node via its short hostname (e.g., lsst-devl01) without having to enter a password (Kerberos authentication should be used by default; if your Kerberos ticket expires on the login node, you may need to kinit again before proceeding to the lsst-devl node).

For various suggestions on streamlining connections through the lsst-login nodes (“jump host” configuration, port forwarding, Kerberos) see related documentation.

If you are using an lsst-login node as a “jump host” and are authenticating to a lsst-devl node using a Kerberos ticket from your local machine (workstation/laptop), you may not have a Kerberos ticket when you arrive on the lsst-devl node itself. You may wish to configure GSSAPIDelegateCredentials yes in your local ~/.ssh/config file in order to forward your Kerberos credentials to the lsst-devl node and automatically create a ticket there upon connection.

Common Software Available

Refer to Software Common to LDF Servers for more details about software available for use on lsst-devl nodes.

CRON Jobs

CRON jobs are disabled by default for users of the lsst-devl nodes. If a CRON job is necessary, please submit an IHS ticket.