[Beowulf] [OT] HPC and University IT - forum/mailing list?

[Mike Davis]

I've sent Bill a link to this Educause group. 
http://www.educause.edu/content.asp?page_id=6673&bhcp=1

It is one of the IT management lists and its misssion covers many of the 
ideas that we are discussing.


Personally, I'm OK no matter what the ultimate decision is
but some readers may not be into the organization, administrivia and 
politics that would seem to be inevitable in these discussions.


More communication is good. I know that I spend a fair amount of time on 
the phone trying to find out what other institutions are doing to solve 
some of these issues.

Mike Davis




Joe Landman wrote:
> Now that RGB has written a thesis on this ... :)
> 
> Robert G. Brown wrote:
> 
>>On Tue, 15 Aug 2006, Bill Rankin wrote:
>>
>>
>>>> Are there problems so specific to the higher education realm
>>>>that you think they'd benefit from their own forum?
>>>
>>>Not so much that would benefit from their own forum, but there are a
>>>lot of issues that are not directly related to the construction and
>>>technical operation of clusters, but rather more
>>>administrative/organizational in nature.
>>>
>>>Things like:
>>>
>>>- integration of a cluster into a larger University IT infrastructure
>>>(storage, authentication, policies, et. al.)
>>>- funding models (central funds, grant based) both for equipment and
>>>personnel.
>>>- centralized research IT versus local departmental/school support.
>>>- education and training
>>>- deployment issues (who pays F&M?)
>>>- sustainability and growth
>>>
>>>Some of these topics have content that would be appropriate for this
>>>list, some not-so-much.  There are also some people I know that would
>>>be interested in participating in the conversation, but not about
>>>general Beowulfery.
>>
>>This is a key question (and answer).  There are issues of critical mass
>>for a successful list to consider.  There are also alternative formats
>>-- e.g. wiki instead of actual mailing list.  Finally there are issues
>>of sponsorship and linkage -- it is easier to get to critical mass if
>>there is a mechanism other than google for feeding people and certain
>>threads of discussion over to the new venue.  Possibilities include
>>crossconnecting/linking the new resource with an existing resource to
>>get some synergy, hijacking threads on the beowulf list that are
>>sufficiently "academic" that they are as noted slightly OT for what most
>>of the list membership cares to here (if there is any way to note that),
>>periodic advertisement on the beowulf list (in the form of gentle
>>invitation to move threads vs hijacking:-).
> 
> 
> [disclaimer:  Not officially associated with them, but they are great
> people]
> 
> The good folks over at bioinformatics.org have a number of great lists
> on there, and the director of the organization, a small non-profit (by
> choice) entity, would probably help out if you felt you needed another
> forum.
> 
> They have a bioclusters list there, as well as a biodevelopers, and a
> few other good ones.  Low traffic, etc.  They are quite interested in
> the edu side of things.
> 
> I personally wouldn't have a problem seeing that traffic here on
> beowulf.  Beowulfery is not just the technology, its the whole
> kit-and-kiboodle.
>