Quest Access and Allocations
Access to Quest is provisioned in the form of allocations. Allocation types are summarized below, along with links for managing your allocation.
Use of Quest must be consistent with the Quest Policies and Guidelines, as well as the Rights and Responsibilities for the Use of Central Network and Computing Resources at Northwestern University.
Allocations Overview
Allocation Types
Allocation Ownership
Each allocation has an Allocation Manager and is associated with a Principal Investigator (PI).
Allocation Managers are responsible for applying for and renewing allocations, responding to any questions about the allocation, and approving requests for additional users to join an allocation. Northwestern graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff may be Allocation Managers and submit requests for new allocations. Undergraduate students may join Quest allocations created by others but may not be Allocation Managers.
The PI is typically the faculty lead of your research group. If you are a graduate student or postdoc in a field that is not organized by faculty PIs, please list your advisor as the PI for your Quest allocation.
If you are a faculty member, you can be both the Allocation Manager and the PI, or you can delegate the Allocation Manager responsibility to someone else in your research group.
Allocation Details
Quest users may have access to multiple allocations which are each tied to a specific research project, and each allocation may be shared by multiple users. By default, all users who have access to an allocation have access to all files shared in the allocation’s storage directory. In addition to the shared resources of an allocation, each Quest user has an 80GB home directory for storing code files and installing applications and packages.
General Access allocations do not have a strict limit on compute hours; the guidelines above are for reference. You will not run out of compute hours on Quest while your allocation is active, but your wait times for available resources may vary depending upon how many compute hours you have used. When demand for computational resources exceeds capacity, weight times are determined via a fair share mechanism.
Allocations have names to identify them. Most allocation names start with the letter “p” or “b” followed by several numbers. For example: p01023. You will need the allocation name when making requests about your allocation, such as renewing it or giving additional people access to it.
Manage Your Quest Allocation
Get Started with Quest
If you are new to Quest and your research group already has an existing Quest allocation, you are encouraged to join that allocation rather than create a new one. To join an existing allocation, you will need to know the allocation name, as well as the name and email address of the Allocation Manager and PI.
If you are new to Quest and are eligible to join the Genomics Compute Cluster allocation (b1042), please fill out the GCC User Registration form.
If you are new to Quest and want to establish your own allocation, please set up a new Research I allocation.
In all cases above, if you are a new Quest user, an individual Quest user account will be created for you. Requests are typically processed within a week, and you will receive information via email.
Managing Allocation User Access
To give someone access to your existing allocation, share the allocation name, as well as the name and email address of the Allocation Manager and PI, with them. The new user should fill out the Join an Existing Allocation form.
The Allocation Manager will be notified of the request and asked to approve or reject it.
To remove an individual from an allocation, the Allocation Manager or the PI should email quest-help@northwestern.edu, providing the allocation name along with the individual's name and NetID.
Increase Your Allocation
Existing General Access users of Quest who want to increase their storage capacity to 2 TB, or increase their computational priority to accommodate larger computational workloads, can apply for a Research II Allocation.
Researchers only needing increased storage may consider a 5 TB scratch storage space instead. Those requiring more than 2 TB of non-scratch storage or dedicated compute nodes may purchase storage or compute resources.
General Access Research II applications require a proposal that is due and reviewed quarterly. Due dates are December 1st, March 1st, June 1st, and September 1st. Researchers need to fill out the Research II proposal template and include it in their application.
To apply to upgrade your Research I allocation to a Research II allocation:
- Submit the proposal document as part of the application to upgrade to a Research II allocation.
- Proposals are reviewed after the quarterly deadline: December 1st, March 1st, June 1st, and September 1st. Expect to hear back about your application within a month of the quarterly deadline.
- Research Allocation II proposals should contain the following:
- A brief project introduction (avoid excessive detail).
- A clear description of the computational plans and software to be used
- A breakdown of estimated resources (compute hours, memory, storage) with concise justification
- For renewal applications, a summary of progress, including student theses and any related publications (submitted/published, with DOIs if available).
Research Computing and Data Services will review all incoming requests for Research II allocations. The applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- The quality and readiness of the described work plans to bring the project to a successful conclusion
- The applicability of Northwestern IT HPC computational and storage resources to successfully complete the project
Renew Your Allocation
All General Access research allocations are valid for one year. Research II allocation renewals require an updated proposal and a proposal template for the application.
Renew a Research II Allocation
Request Scratch Storage
Quest users may request a 5 TB scratch storage space on Quest for temporarily storing files. Scratch storage space is assigned per user, not per allocation.
Request Software Installation
Several dozen applications are already installed on Quest centrally and available for use by all Quest users. Most additional software can be installed on Quest directly by users.
If you need to use software that is not already available on Quest that you cannot install as an individual user, you can request that a new software module be created.
Workshop and Classroom Allocation Requests
Allocations are available for instructors to support teaching, training events, and coursework requiring access to high-performance computing capabilities. This allocation type is not for students seeking to use Quest for coursework. All requests must be made by the instructor or the teaching assistant (TA). Instructors should submit requests at least one week before the class or workshop start date.
A Classroom allocation provides individual user accounts on Quest for all students added to the allocation, as well as access to General Access compute resources for the duration of the quarter and 2 TB of shared storage for one year. Data stored in the shared project space will be deleted 90 days after expiration.
Instructors and TAs are responsible for managing the project and student use of Quest. This includes:
- Providing NetIDs of students, instructors, and support staff who need access for the allocation. NetIDs can be added to the allocation with the initial application or later when needed.
- Teaching students how to use the Quest resources necessary for the class or workshop and addressing initial questions or issues. If you encounter an error with the system, please submit a help request to quest-help@northwestern.edu. Support is available to the instructor at no cost.
- Managing access permissions for shared storage, backing up data from Quest if needed, and removing required data from the shared project storage before expiration.
Request a New Workshop and Classroom Allocation