HPC Acceptable Use Policy

Effective: 2025-06-16
Last revised: 2025-06-12

Definitions

A User is a person with a login to use ARCSIM’s HPC systems.
A PI is a person (typically a faculty member) who supervises the work of Users (typically graduate students or staff) and has responsibility for funding their use. A PI may or may not be a User.
A Lab refers to the group of Users directed by a PI.

General

Users acknowledge that the HPC systems are a shared resource and that their behavior in utilizing those systems may have a direct or indirect effect on other Users. As members of a community they agree to act as good citizens, whether or not any specific action is required or prohibited by the stipulations below. A User who has any doubts about whether a particular job or action is appropriate should ask an ARCSIM system administrator (um.arcsim@maine.edu).

User and PI Responsibilities

PI’s and Users
PI’s agree to supervise their Users use of the HPC systems.

User accounts
Users agree to use only accounts in their own names and not share logins with others, even within the same Lab. New user accounts can be added for any person with a UMS @maine.edu email account at the request of a PI. In some cases a service account not associated with an individual person may be appropriate; PI’s should consult with a system administrator if they believe they have a need for a service account.

Computation on compute nodes
Users shall prepare, stage and run their jobs so that the major work takes place on compute nodes. Doing heavy computational work on cluster login or admin nodes (e.g., Login1, Penobscot, Katahdin) can adversely affect cluster stability and performance.

Efficiency and cooperation
Users agree to employ reasonable efforts to structure their jobs in a way that makes efficient use of available compute hardware and minimizes their impacts on the jobs of other Users. Users agree to cooperate with system administrators as appropriate to improve the efficiency of their jobs, maintain system stability and diagnose suspected system problems. Users are encouraged to contact a system administrator if they have concerns about system utilization or scheduling of jobs to meet deadlines.

Appropriate data and software
PI’s are responsible for the use and control of the data and software they and their Users bring to the HPC systems. Where such data comes from a 3rd party, PI’s are responsible for complying with any agreements or policies of the data provider.

Prohibited Data Types
The HPC systems employ a standard level of security for a shared university research system. Do not input protected or regulated data into these systems, including but not limited to personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), educational records, criminal justice information, or any data subject to regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, FERPA, CJIS, or federal contract requirements including FAR and DFARS provisions. These systems are not designed, configured, or certified to handle such protected information. For additional examples of prohibited data, review Restricted or Confidential data in the UMS Administrative Practice Letter VI-I: Data Classification (https://www.maine.edu/apls/apl-vi-i/). Users agree not to copy or work with such data on the HPC systems. (Contact ARCSIM at um.arcsim@maine.edu if you are interested in building a workflow for restricted data.)

Software licenses
When using licensed software, users agree to abide by the terms of the appropriate license agreement and not attempt to circumvent any lawful restrictions on use.

User servers
The HPC systems are intended for compute jobs that run for a period of time and then conclude. Persistent software servers which run for extended periods of time (for example, a web server) present different resource and security issues and are usually not appropriate for HPC systems. Users agree not to set up servers on HPC systems without consulting with and being authorized by a system administrator. In most cases other ARCSIM or UMS services are more appropriate for persistent servers.

Commercial use
The HPC systems are intended for research and instruction by students, faculty and staff in the University of Maine System and certain other non-profit educational institutions. Any use of the systems for profit or personal gain (for example, crypto mining) is prohibited, except as explicitly authorized in a signed memorandum of understanding with a commercial entity.

Financial sustainability
HPC users are charged for certain services, including CPU core-hours and GPU hours reserved in compute jobs and storage in home and project directories. Users are encouraged to make judicious use of computing resources to minimize their costs. Users agree not to intentionally modify their workflows in order to circumvent the billing system.

Financial responsibility
PI’s agree to pay for the charged compute services of their Users. The service rates are posted at https://umaine.edu/arcsim/frequently-asked-questions/. Rates are subject to change, although PI’s will be given at least 30 days notice of any increases or new fees.

References

https://www.maine.edu/information-technology/about-us/policies-and-procedures/
https://www.maine.edu/apls/apl-vi-h/
https://www.maine.edu/apls/apl-vi-i/