Service Details and Rates

Users who need more resources than what are available through the Open Queue can purchase access to additional storage and compute, as well as support services like RISE consultations. ICDS offers two models for paid compute access: through an Allocation and a “pay per use” Credit model. An Allocation offers users immediate, 24/7 access to a defined set of compute resources for a period of six months or more. User may purchase a pool of compute Credits to “spend” on individual jobs, the cost being a factor of the requested resources and job runtime.

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Choosing Between an Allocation, Credit-Based Usage, or Both

Each mode has its benefits, and the best plan depends on your particular needs and circumstances.

An Allocation:

  • Immediate access to resources earmarked for your use
  • Utilize your resources 24/7 for one price
  • Straightforward budgeting

Credit based usage:

  • Pay only for what you use
  • Access different compute configurations at will
  • No time commitment of an Allocation.

Hybrid (An Allocation augmented with Credits):

  • Base Allocation for time intensive jobs and where immediate access is critical (bug fixing, etc.)
  • Supplement with Credits for cyclical or temporary needs and “bursty” workflows

Ultimately the best choice depends on your workflows, budget, and personal preference. If you’d like help in crafting an approach that best meets your needs, contact us at icds@psu.edu.

 

Estimating Your Credit Needs

ICDS has developed two simple command line utilities to help you calculate your credits needs based on your actual usage patterns.

  • Use the credit_estimate utility to determine your actual system usage for a given time period. The utility will report how many credits you would have needed to run the same set of jobs.
  • Use the job_estimate utility to estimate the number of credits needed to run a job, given a sample batch script.

Both utilities are described in detail in the User Guide.

 

Estimating Your Monthly Compute Costs

Use this interactive worksheet to estimate you monthly compute costs with an allocation, investigate different resource configurations within a set budget, or estimate the cost of Credit-based usage.

 

Pricing

ICDS has new lower pricing for compute and storage resources, thanks to substantial funding from the OSVPR. Pricing for Credit based usage is similar to Allocation pricing, but prorated according to the time it takes to run your job. For example, a job using 10 Basic memory cores that runs for half of a month would cost half of the monthly charge for a 10 Basic core Allocation.

View Pricing (requires login)

 

Establish New Paid Service

Ready to establish a new service account? Have questions about storage needs or what usage model is right for you? To ask questions or establish a new a paid account, contact us.

 

Buy Credits with iLab

If you already have a service account, you can purchase compute Credits yourself via iLiab. Click here for an illustrated tutorial on purchasing credits.