How do I connect to, and start using the cluster?

Refer to connection instructions on connecting here. You can connect over SSH or the web-based OpenOnDemand.

When I connect over SSH I get a message saying “permission denied (public key)”

This can be due one of these common reasons:

  • You have not provided your private key while connecting. Usingssh -i [private_key_location] [user]@unity.uri.edu should help.
  • You are not assigned to at least one PI group. We require at least one PI to endorse your account before you can use the cluster. Request to join a PI on the My PIs page.
  • You have not added a public key to your account on Unity yet. You can do this on the Account Settings page.
  • Your login shell is invalid. In Account Settings, try /bin/bash or /bin/zsh.

Where can I find software to use on the cluster?

Most of our software is package installed and is available by default. Many other software which have different versions are available as modules. The command module avail will print all available modules. Then you can usemodule load <name>to load a module and have access to its binaries. See Using Modules for more information.

How much storage do I get on Unity and is it backed up?

For details on storage, please visit this page.

We do not provide backup solutions by default. We take a snapshot of all storage at 1 AM every day for the past 48 hours. This way, if you accidentally deleted something it wouldn’t be difficult to get it back within that time frame.

I’m looking for xyz software, could you install it?

Most software that is requested is free for use. If this is the case we will install it for you, just send us an email at hpc@etal.uri.edu. If the software you want is licensed, we may be able to help since the campus often has site-wide licenses for many applications.

I’m a PI and I would like to purchase hardware to buy-in to Unity.

Great! Send us an email and we’ll be happy to help. We are very flexible when it comes to the needs of research labs.

Can I run containers on Unity?

Yes! We support singularity-style containers, which are fully compatible with docker images. Run module load apptainer/latest to access it (Note that apptainer is a drop-in replacement for singularity).