Accounts and Allocations FAQ
Accounts and Access to Midway
How do I become an RCC user?
RCC user account requests should be submitted via our online application forms. See RCC Account Request for more information.
How do I access RCC systems?
There are various ways to access RCC systems.
To access RCC systems interactively, use ThinLinc or an SSH client with enabled X11 forwarding. See Connecting to RCC Resources for details.
To access files stored on RCC systems, use SCP, Globus Online, or SAMBA. See Data Transfer for details.
How do I request access to a PI’s account if I already have an account on Midway?
Please submit a User Account Request and provide your CNetID and the PI Account name (typically pi- followed by the CNetID of the PI). The PI will receive an automated email requesting authorization for this request.
What is my RCC username and password?
RCC uses the University of Chicago CNetIDs for user credentials. Once your RCC account is created, your RCC username and password will be the same as your CNetID credentials.
Can an external collaborator get a CNetID to log in to RCC?
RCC can create CNetIDs for external collaborators. See RCC Account Request for more information.
What should I do if I left the university and my CNetID password no longer works?
You can use your CNetID for authentication after you have left, but IT Services may expire it when you leave. If you have an RCC account, but you still can’t log in, password authentication has likely been disabled by IT Services. Please contact our Help Desk to request re-enabling access to your account.
How do I change/reset my password?
RCC cannot change or reset your password. Go to the CNet Password Recovery page to change or reset your password.
What groups am I a member of?
To list the groups you are a member of, type groups on any RCC system.
Will I still have access to Midway after I leave the University?
Typically, UChicago IT will terminate your CNET ID soon after leaving the university. In order to regain access to Midway, you will need to request a new account.
Allocations and Service Units
What is an allocation?
An allocation is a specified number of computing and storage resources granted to a PI or an education account. An allocation is necessary to run jobs on RCC systems. See RCC Allocations for more details.
What is a service unit (SU)?
A service unit (SU) is roughly equal to 1 core-hour; for a more precise definition, see RCC Service Units.
How do I obtain an allocation?
The RCC accepts proposals for large (“Research II”) allocations bi-annually. Proposals for medium-sized allocations, special purpose allocations for time-critical research, and allocations for education and outreach may be submitted at any time. See RCC Allocations for more information.
How is compute cluster usage charged to my account?
The charge associated with a job on any RCC system is a function of (1) the number of cores allocated to the job, and (2) the elapsed wall-clock time (in hours).
How do I check the balance of my allocation?
The rcchelp tool is the easiest way to check your account balance. Run
rcchelp balance
How do I check how my allocation has been used?
The rcchelp tool has several options for summarizing allocation usage. For a summary, run
rcchelp usage
rcchelp usage --byjob
rcchelp usage --byuser