Getting Started with Lewis and Clark

 Data storage
Users have 2.5 GB of storage in their home directory on Lewis.  Each user also has a data directory in their home directory and up to 50 GB may be stored there.  It is suggested that the home directory be used for small files and programs, whereas large input and output files and programs be kept under the data directory.   As data becomes obsolete or not needed for daily use, deletion or compression (via the tar and gzip commands) of the files should be used to free up disk space.   To learn more about storage on Lewis go here.

Job scheduling
Since Lewis and Clark are shared resources some rules must be followed to to provide maximum availability of system resources to the maximum number of users.  One submits jobs to run on Lewis by using the LSF scheduler and on Clark by using the PBS scheduler.  These scheduling programs are designed to be as fair as possible in allocating system resources.

Job outputs
Always include in your job scheduling script a place to output results, otherwise they go into your system mailbox which is limited in size.  Once your mailbox is full you may lose any further data unless your script indicates another destination for it.  Consider outputting the results of your jobs directly to your data directory so your home directory remains within the storage limit.

User permissions
Nobody is allowed to use another person's account.   Allowing others access to your account/password can result in revocation of your user-id.

File transfer
Only secure file transfers of data are allowed to/from lewis and clark.  For file transfer between unix/linux servers scp or sftp are available.  For Windows users Secure FX is a secure FTP client for up- and down-loading files between your local computer and a server.   It may be obtained by following the Software Distribution Site link on the MU-Ready Software page of the Division of Information Technology.