Aire Progress Update - March

This is a short update to keep everyone up to date on the progress of Aire, the University’s new High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster.

 

Aire Future State

We mentioned in the last update that we are committed to continuously improving Aire and keeping it secure and up to date.

Last update we told you about multifactor authentication on Aire which adds an extra layer of security. We have completed testing on this (thank you to all those who helped with testing) and MFA will be rolled out to all login nodes from 13th March. It will be a phased rollout so you will see MFA prompts when logging into Aire appear gradually.

Also, last update, we told you about the new network switches that will be installed. These have been installed into the racks but we’re actually going to move them slightly to ensure optimum cooling and to make them easier to access in the future. By repositioning the switches, it moves them away from warmer parts of Aire allowing them to take in colder air and operate more efficiently.

Please see the new dates below and note the days where the login nodes of both ARC4 and Aire will be unavailable. Any submitted jobs will continue to run in the meantime.

• 24th March – Switches will be reinstalled. Login nodes for ARC4 and Aire will be unavailable from 08:00 – 18:00. Any submitted jobs will continue to run.
• 24th March – new, secure configuration will be applied to the new switches. Expect access to Aire login nodes to be sporadic from 08:00. Any submitted jobs will continue to run.
• 25th March onwards: Aire users test access and inform us of any issues or areas not available to connect to.

 

ARC3

ARC3 was taken out of service in November 2024 with all colleagues required to remove their data or move it elsewhere by the same date. The remaining ARC3 hardware will be physically removed once we have confirmed dates with our 3rd party HPC partner who is carrying out the work. This is likely to be the last week of March, but we will confirm nearer the time.

This is your final opportunity to recover any data on ARC3 that you may need. Once the hardware is removed it is gone forever!

 

And Finally...

Now that Aire has been launched, a quick note on branding. The correct spelling is ‘Aire’. Some people capitalise it as ‘AIRE’ but it isn’t an acronym, it is named after the Yorkshire River.

And speaking of Yorkshire rivers, work has started on the project for the next HPC following Aire. It’s a little early to share many details but what we can reveal is the next Leeds University HPC will be… Calder!

Please continue to add any comments or questions into the Teams channel, and we will keep you updated.

 

Join Our Data Centre Visit!

We’re offering an opportunity to visit the data centre where Aire is hosted. If you're curious about the infrastructure behind your computing power, join us at:
📅 Wednesday, 19th March | 11 AM – 1 PM
📅 Thursday, 20th March | 11 AM – 1 PM

Space is limited, so if you’re interested, send us an email (rcteam@leeds.ac.uk) to reserve your spot. We’ll provide visit details to confirmed attendees.

Thanks for your continued support, and we look forward to bringing you even more improvements in the coming weeks!

 

If you are interested in more information about Aire, please read our previous blog posts:

• Aire Configuration Update & Upcoming Data Centre Visit
• Aire Progress Update - February
• Aire Progress Update - January
• Supporting Teaching and Learning: Updates on ARC4 and Aire Transition
• First look at PyTorch on Aire
• Exploring the Power of Aire: A First Look at Performance Gains