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Open OnDemand♯

Open OnDemand (OOD) is Picotte's web interface and the recommended starting point for new users.1 You can work with files, launch applications, and manage jobs from your browser without installing an SSH client or remote-display software. Your files and computations stay on Picotte.

Getting started♯

You need a Picotte account.

Drexel network required

You must be on the Drexel network to access Picotte. If you are not on the Drexel network, you cannot connect. There are two ways to get connected:

  1. On campus: Be physically on campus and connect to an active Drexel Ethernet jack or DragonFly3 Wi-Fi.
  2. Off campus: Connect to the Drexel VPN.
  1. Open https://ondemand.urcf.drexel.edu/.
  2. Sign in with your Picotte account.

Use your Picotte credentials, not your Drexel credentials

Enter just your Picotte username, such as abc123, without @drexel.edu. Use your Picotte password, not your Drexel password. Although the username is usually the same, these are separate accounts; changing one password does not change the other.

If this is your first login, change your temporary password using Shell in the navigation bar.

What you can do♯

Feature Use it to
JupyterLab Run Python notebooks on a compute node, with a provided Python installation or your own virtual environment.
MATLAB Use the MATLAB graphical interface on a compute node, displayed in your browser.
Files Browse, upload, download, and edit files in your home and research group directories.
Jobs View your jobs and use Job Composer to create and submit batch jobs, including from the supplied CPU and GPU templates.
Shell Open a terminal on the Picotte login node.
Module Browser Explore the software modules available on Picotte.
System Status View cluster resource and job information.

The application guides above give detailed instructions. For software without an OOD app, you can still use SSH, VS Code, and SLURM job scripts.

Launching an interactive session♯

  1. Choose an application from the dashboard or Interactive Apps menu.
  2. Select your Project and Partition. The Project is the SLURM account used for this job, not your login username. Available partitions depend on that Project's access; see Picotte partitions and usage tiers.
  3. Request the Hours, CPU cores, and, if needed, GPUs for your work. Choose resources that fit the task; larger requests may take longer to start.
  4. Complete the application-specific settings and select Launch.
  5. Open My Interactive Sessions to follow the job. Once it is running and the connection button appears, use it to open the application.

OOD submits a SLURM job for each session. A queued session is waiting for resources; it may not start immediately. The same usage tiers, limits, and charges apply as when submitting jobs from the command line.

For class work, select your course Project and the edu or gpu-edu Partition. See Picotte for classes.

Reconnecting and finishing♯

Return to My Interactive Sessions to reconnect to a running session. Closing its browser tab does not stop the job or release its resources.

Save your work before the requested time expires. When finished, use the session's Cancel control to end the job. Cancellation and the time limit both stop the application; unsaved work can be lost. Saved files in your home or group directory remain available for your next session.

Working with files♯

The Files app includes your home directory and your research group's shared storage directory. The browser file manager works on the same files you see through SSH and in applications.

Use home or group storage for notebooks, code, virtual environments, and results you want to keep. Storage quotas still apply; see Picotte storage. For large or repeated transfers, use the tools in file-transfer guide.

Using the browser terminal♯

Shell connects to a Picotte login node. Use it for tasks such as changing your password, preparing files, and submitting jobs. Run computations through an interactive app or SLURM job, rather than directly on the login node. The command-line introduction and SLURM guide also apply to this terminal.

Getting help♯

  • Cannot reach the site: check the campus network or VPN connection described in Getting started.
  • Cannot sign in: check that you are using your Picotte password and a username without @drexel.edu.
  • No suitable account or partition: check your allocation; contact support if expected access is missing.
  • Session remains queued: check the job status before launching another session. It may simply be waiting for resources.
  • Session fails to start: open its session directory from the session card and inspect the output log for errors.

For help, email urcf-support@drexel.edu. Include the application, job ID, launch settings, and any error or session log. Do not include passwords. Documentation and support links are also available in OOD's Help menu.

  1. Open OnDemand is an open-source project developed by the Ohio Supercomputer Center. ↩