2025-05- 24 - Mjolnir Update: New Software Location, System Expansion, and Storage Reporting

Dear Mjolnir users and PI's,

Happy Friday - I have both good and bad news to share :-) (mostly good)

The good news:

Some of you have experienced issues when running software installed in /datasets/globe_software, particularly with Conda environments and certain tools. 

These problems stemmed from restrictive ACL (Access Control List) settings on that directory, which interfered with program execution and library loading.

This was an unintended challenge. I created /datasets/globe_software to streamline software access and save us all time and resources (read: Money) — not to cause headaches. 

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused, and I hope you can forgive me for that.

I am, therefore, happy to announce that the issue is now resolved, thanks to my friends at KU-IT.

A new shared module location has been established at:

/opt/shared_software/shared_envmodules/modules

This new location does not suffer from ACL-related issues and should work smoothly across environments.

If you’re using Conda-based workflows, each module has a corresponding environment here:

/opt/shared_software/shared_envmodules/conda

Not all software has been reinstalled yet, but I’m working — quite literally — day and night to get everything migrated as soon as possible to minimize disruption.

Note: You might need to re-login in order to mount the new module location. 

There is no change for you in the way you load modules; despite the software location change, the modules will just be pointing to a new location. 

The (little) bad news:

Because of this change, you may need to update your workflows, but only if you’re relying directly on Conda environments.

If you’re using the module system alone, you shouldn’t experience any changes during the transition.

New server coming online

I’m excited to announce that mjolnircomp17fl has been powered on, it's breathing and alive, ready to serve, currently awaiting OS and system setup. Once ready, Mjolnir will gain 1 TB of RAM and 512 threads.

This expansion is especially welcomed as mjolnircomp05fl and mjolnircomp06fl will unfortunately be retired later this year. 

The two servers have served us well for almost 8 years, as they were part of the old HPC, and now it is time for them to shut down and rest in peace.  

Storage reporting returns

Storage reporting is back! After some persistent follow-up, KU-IT has now manually registered all 42 PI projects on Mjolnir. 

I am very happy with the good relationship I have built with KU-IT, because that allows us to do so much more. 

Adding all the projects allows me to resume sending monthly storage reports, including estimated costs per group.

Please note that these estimates are based on preliminary models, as KU has not yet finalized the official cost structure.

Let me know if you have any questions or run into issues during the transition.

Keep computing! We are at 36,9 million jobs since June 2022, and continuously getting stronger.

Thank you for your patience with me as the only manager at Mjolnir, and for your continued love for Mjolnir. 

Best regards,

Bent