Dirac 2.5 Operations

天文学、核物理和粒子物理学界的物理学家们专注于理解宇宙在非常基础的层面上是如何运作的。他们工作的距离尺度变化了50个数量级，从大型强子对撞机实验探测的最小距离，原子核深处，到太空中发现的最大尺度星系团。然而，科学挑战是通过诸如宇宙是如何开始的以及它是如何演变的问题联系在一起的。宇宙的基本组成和结构是什么，它们是如何相互作用的？进步需要新的天文观测和实验数据，但也需要新的理论见解。理论理解越来越多地来自大规模计算，这使我们能够非常准确地用数据来面对我们理论的后果，或者让我们能够详细地询问数据，以提取对我们理论有影响的信息。这些计算测试了我们拥有的最快的计算机，并推动了这一领域的技术边界。他们还提供了一个良好的环境，培养学生在国家的最先进的技术，代码优化和数据挖掘和可视化。DiRAC-2.5项目建立在DiRAC HPC设施的成功基础上，并将在2017年期间提供支持STFC支持的所有科学领域的尖端研究所需的资源。DiRAC-2.5将从2017年4月起提供维持现有的DiRAC-2服务，并提供和增加达勒姆的计算资源，剑桥和莱斯特。这笔赠款将支持爱丁堡DiRAC服务的运行，该服务目前拥有98384个运行计算核心，为大约80%的DiRAC计算周期提供服务。该系统由最初的1.26PFlop/s DiRAC BlueGene/Q系统和最近由STFC转移到爱丁堡的Hartree BlueJoule超级计算机的六个机架组成。DiRAC项目还将提供一个由三名研究软件工程师组成的团队，他们将帮助DiRAC研究人员确保他们的科学代码从DiRAC集群的硬件组件中提取最佳性能。这些高技能的程序员将在2017年提高DiRAC设施的有效计算能力。

Physicists across the astronomy, nuclear and particle physics communities are focussed on understanding how the Universe works at a very fundamental level. The distance scales with which they work vary by 50 orders of magnitude from the smallest distances probed by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, deep within the atomic nucleus, to the largest scale galaxy clusters discovered out in space. The Science challenges, however, are linked through questions such as: How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving? and What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the Universe and how do they interact?Progress requires new astronomical observations and experimental data but also new theoretical insights. Theoretical understanding comes increasingly from large-scale computations that allow us to confront the consequences of our theories very accurately with the data or allow us to interrogate the data in detail to extract information that has impact on our theories. These computations test the fastest computers that we have and push the boundaries of technology in this sector. They also provide an excellent environment for training students in state-of-the-art techniques for code optimisation and data mining and visualisation. The DiRAC-2.5 project builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources neededto support cutting edge research during 2017 in all areas of science supported by STFC.DiRAC-2.5 will provide maintain the existing DiRAC-2 services from April 2017, and also provide and increase in computationalresources at Durham, Cambridge and Leicester.This grant will support the operation of the Edinburgh DiRAC services, which presently comprise98384 operational computing cores serving around 80% of DiRAC computing cycles. The system is made upfrom both the original 1.26PFlop/s DiRAC BlueGene/Q system and, following a recent transferto Edinburgh by STFC, six racks of the Hartree BlueJoule supercomputer.The DiRAC project also will offer a team of three research software engineers who will help DiRAC researchers to ensure their scientific codes to extractthe best possible performance from the hardware components of the DiRAC clusters. These highly skilled programmers willincrease the effective computational power of the DiRAC facility during 2017.