Server and Short to Mid Term Storage Funding Research Computing Funding Issues

Stages of Development Starting Building Sustaining

Where are you computing? Research Group Department Institution Region National Laboratory/Teragrid Cloud

What are you funding? Computational systems Storage – Scratch – Fast working data – Medium term Software Visualization

Funding Sources Individual – Grants – Startup funds Departmental – Grants – Departmental funds Central – Grants Institutional Multi-institutional – General funds

Central Funding Models Centrally operated Condo Fee for service

Life Cycle Management Decommission on a pre-determined schedule Decommission when a replacement is purchased Decommission based on performance criteria (ie – FLOPS/Watt compared with current technology) Run until the wheels fall off Other

Total Cost of Ownership Do purchasing decisions take total cost of ownership into consideration, or are systems purchased based purely on researchers needs/desires? At what point does the central IT staff get involved in the acquisition process?

SURVEY RESULTS

4. Computational hardware resources (clusters, SMP, viz center): #AnswerResponse% 1NO00% 2Yes, centrally run1680% 3Yes, departmentally run1785% 4Yes, run otherwise315% Yes, run otherwise (specify) cloud (Amazon, Azure, Google/IBM) Computational Institute provides terragrid grants

5. Are your centrally run hardware resources: #AnswerResponse% 1Funded by charge back531% 2Funded centrally1381% 3Funded otherwise1169% Funded otherwise (specify) grant funded + dept'l contribution (e.g. faculty start-up) Condo model - faculty contributing research funds "condo" model: cluster infrastructure funded by sponsors, blades purchased by researcher "Buy-in" program to permit faculty to use grant income to buy nodes in central facility combination of both Grant Funded grant funded Grants research grants can purchase machines and locate them in the central cluster grants Grants

6. Are your departmentally run hardware resources: #AnswerResponse% 1Funded by charge back635% 2Funded departmentally1694% 3Funded otherwise953% Funded otherwise (specify) grant power is funded centrally Grant income grant funded I am not sure how funding is provided for by the divisional/departmental provided hardware resources but for those resources provided by the researchers they are funded from their grants, contracts, and/or awards. Grants research grants grants infrequent creative supplements by dept

7. Computational research software: #AnswerResponse% 1NO00% 2Yes, centrally run1785% 3Yes, departmentally run1785% 4Yes, run otherwise525% Yes, run otherwise (specify) Individual PIs My understanding is that the researchers run their own research software since it really is specific to their field of expertise. There are cases where software is installed and supported by the departmental staff, again citing the Computational Institute as one such offering. grants & centrally managed site licenses research groups collaborative licensing on general purpose SW

8. Are your centrally run software resources: #AnswerResponse% 1Funded by charge back531% 2Funded centrally16100% 3Funded otherwise319% Funded otherwise (specify) combination of eScience Institute, and "condo" sponsors grants Grants

9. Are your departmentally run software resources: #AnswerResponse% 1Funded by charge back529% 2Funded departmentally1376% 3Funded otherwise529% Funded otherwise (specify) grant-funded Grant income My assumption is that funding comes directly from the researcher through their grants, contracts, and/or awards. grants Not sure

Summary of Recommendations Developing a Coherent Cyberinfrastructure from Local Campus to National Facilities: Challenges and Strategies EDUCAUSE Campus Cyberinfrastructure Working Group Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation Workshop: July 2008 Report: February 2009

§2.1: Harnessing Campus and National Resources SR 2.1.1: Campuses, in partnership with national resource providers and governmental agencies, should support, promote, and develop a coherent, comprehensive set of computing and data facilities. – TR 2.1.1a: Integrate national resources with the campus layer in a way that ensures transparency, scalability, and ease of use. – TR 2.1.1b: Develop funding models that enable and demand integration of resources from lab to campus to national center. – TR 2.1.1c: Develop and deploy processes and policies that ensure flexibility for PIs to choose local or national resources.

§2.1: Harnessing, cont’d SR 2.1.1, continued – TR 2.1.1d: [Federal and state] governmental funding agencies should implement [award] terms that encourage sharing and effective use of resources at all layers, while eliminating disincentives for researchers to use campus or other shared resources. – TR 2.1.1e: Campuses should encourage resource sharing where local governance and policy allow it, thus helping improve scholarship. – TR 2.1.1f: Campus IT organizations should take an active role in exploring new technologies by serving as a conduit via the CIO (or equivalent) to promote and develop new capabilities and access to resources that are external to the campus.