Want access?
As a national research infrastructure, all HPC researchers at Norwegian research institutions, as well as their international collaborators, may apply for access to the eX3 infrastructure. In order to apply, you must submit a minimal application form stating the purpose of your research and describe the access needed. International users cannot apply directly, but can be added as user in a submitted or granted application for access. Only applications from email addresses associated with a Norwegian research institution will be reviewed.
Use of eX3 resources in projects
As for any national research infrastructure, eX3 is expected to source user payments to pay for parts of the operational costs. It is therefore very important that you contact us at ex3-contact@simula.no in due time before submitting any research proposals relying on use of eX3, such that you can enter the correct amounts in your budget. Please notice that the cost of using eX3 is an eligible equipment cost for proposals submitted to the Research Council of Norway and EU-funded research and innovation programs. The exact amount depends on how you will be using eX3 in your project, but it will always be a very cost-effective solution compared to buying dedicated project equipment or renting cloud-based HPC solutions. Use of eX3 for research activities that are not part of funded projects is for the time being free of charge.
Code of conduct
By applying for access to eX3, you automatically accept to follow the infrastructure’s code of conduct as documented herein. This code can be updated, so please check back once in a while.
Use of eX3 is solely for public research and educational purposes. In particular, eX3 resources cannot be used for commercial activity unless specifically granted in accordance with the governing regulations for national research infrastructures. If such use is desired, please email ex3-contact@simula.no with a description of the case in question.
As user of eX3, you are responsible for setting the appropriate level of file protection for any electronic material that you load on eX3 file systems, in particular data, source code, and documents. Moreover, you are not allowed to attempt to peek into other users’s directories and files unless you have been explicitly invited to do so, e.g. in a collaborative project. This rule applied regardless of the file protection level set by the other user(s).
Due to the experimental nature of eX3, your project requires storage of sensitive or confidential data, please contact ex3-contact@simula.no prior to loading any such material. The user is responsible for acquiring any licenses or permissions needed to handle the data or other electronic material in question, and (as stated above) for setting the appropriate file protection levels.
Any use of eX3 must adhere to sound ethical principles. In particular, eX3 users shall comply with the guidelines issued by the National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT). In addition, publications using eX3 resources should be produced and published in compliance with the Vancouver Convention.
Please also observe the ethical code of your home institution. In particular, users from Simula (eX3 host institution) must adhere to The Simula Code of Ethics.
System stability
Please notice that eX3 is an experimental cluster intended for HPC research, which means that it can be reconfigured and changed at any time. For shorter periods, the system can also be reserved to specific users in order to run experiments that should be undisturbed by other workloads. Therefore, eX3 users cannot expect the same level of up-time and smooth user interfaces as most production systems. Moreover, you cannot store input data or computational results for longer periods.
Liability
The eX3 consortium and the host institution (Simula) are under no circumstances liable for damages, costs or other issues arising from use of the eX3 resources. The use is solely on the user’s responsibility.