System Overview

The Sapitwa High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster is MLW's dedicated virtualized computing infrastructure for research computing needs.

Quick Access

Connect to Sapitwa HPC via:

SSH:
ssh username@sapitwa.mlw.mw
Web Portal: https://sapitwa.mlw.mw

Hardware Infrastructure

System Summary

Virtualized HPC cluster based on Dell PowerEdge R940xa with GPU capabilities and high-speed storage.

Host System

  • Dell PowerEdge R940xa server
  • Running KVM on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • NVME SSD pool for swap storage

Virtual Machines

Head Node (Login Node)

  • • Operating System: Rocky Linux 8
  • • Primary interface for job submission and management
  • • Access point for all users

CPU Nodes (2x)

  • • 16 CPU cores per node
  • • 126GB RAM per node
  • • 1TB storage per node
  • • Ideal for CPU-intensive workloads

GPU Nodes (2x)

  • • 16 CPU cores per node
  • • 126GB RAM per node
  • • 1TB storage per node
  • • NVIDIA A100 80GB GPU per node
  • • 7x 10GB NVIDIA MIG profiles per GPU
  • • Perfect for AI/ML and GPU computing

Storage System

Storage Guidelines

Choose the appropriate storage area for your needs:

Internal Storage

  • • Direct storage on Dell server
  • • Available for general use
  • • Suitable for temporary data

External Storage (Dell PowerVault ME5024)

  • • Fast SSD-based storage system
  • • NFS-mounted scratch storage
  • • Scalable architecture
  • • Supports additional storage enclosures

Software Environment

Available Software

Check available modules using:

module avail

Operating System

  • • Host System: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • • Virtual Machines: Rocky Linux 8

Resource Management

Slurm Workload Manager:

# Check queue status
squeue
# Check node status
sinfo

LMOD Module System:

# List available modules
module avail
# Load a module
module load python/3.9

• EasyBuild for software installation

Access Methods

Getting Started

For first-time access, set up your authenticator app and SSH key. See the User Guide for detailed instructions.

Command Line Access

Connect using SSH from any terminal:

ssh username@sapitwa.mlw.mw

For Windows users, you can use:

  • • Windows Terminal (recommended)
  • • PuTTY
  • • MobaXterm

Web Portal Access

Access the Open OnDemand interface:

https://sapitwa.mlw.mw

Important

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is required for all access methods. Supported authenticator apps:

  • • Microsoft Authenticator (recommended)
  • • Google Authenticator
  • • FreeOTP

File Transfer

Transfer files using scp or sftp:

# Copy local file to Sapitwa
scp /path/to/local/file username@sapitwa.mlw.mw:~/destination/
# Copy from Sapitwa to local machine
scp username@sapitwa.mlw.mw:~/path/to/file /local/destination/

User Community

Current Status

50+
Trained Researchers
16
Active System Users
Growing
User Base

Future Developments

Upcoming Features

• Additional compute resources for increased capacity
• Integration with advanced HPC tools:
  • - XDMoD - Usage tracking and reporting
  • - Coldfront - Resource allocation management
  • - Globus - High-speed file transfer system

Stay Updated

Follow the HPC Support Channel on Teams for announcements about new features and system updates.