Resource Scheduling Request
This form has been created as part of the support process for the virtual Research Data Centre (vRDC). It serves as a central channel for requesting additional temporary memory resources and logical cores to support your research work.
Please Note: All submissions will be reviewed by the support team. Submitting a request one week in advance allows time for review and provisioning, but approval depends on resource availability and support team review. Please review the FAQ and calendar below before filling out the form.
Resource Scheduling Request Form FAQ’s
What is this form, and what is it for?
This form has been created to support the Virtual Research Data Centre (vRDC). It serves as a central channel for requesting additional temporary memory resources and logical cores to increase overall performance and processing power. Please use this form to submit your request. Each request is for one researcher, one machine. If there are multiple researchers on a project, each researcher will need to place a request.
What configurations can I request and how many of each configuration is available to request each day?
A: 128 GB RAM / 64 cores (1 is available to request each day)
B: 64 GB RAM / 32 cores (2 are available to request each day)
C: 32 GB RAM / 16 cores (3 are available to request each day)
D: 16 GB RAM / 8 cores (4 are available to request each day)
These are individual machines and cannot be combined.
How do I find my project number?
Your Project Number is displayed when you log into the vRDC. Examples may include numeric project numbers up to 4 or 5 digits in length, or legacy formats such as 1234-S001.
How long can I request additional resources?
You may request resources for a duration of 1 to 5 business days.
How much advance notice is required to submit a request?
Requests must be submitted at least one week in advance of the required start date. The current week will be greyed out and unavailable for selection. Additional resources will not be available to start or end on a Saturday or Sunday. The calendar will display available resources based on your selected dates. Scheduling is available up to two months in advance.
Why can’t I reserve resources for 10 days?
Each request is limited to a maximum of 5 business days.
We are limiting requests to 5 business days for fairness and equity as we test the demand across CRDCN. Academic Directors were consulted about reasonable durations for heavy tasks, and this number was agreed upon. We may revisit this limit if required once the system-wide demand has been adequately assessed.
Can I request multiple back-to-back timeslots?
Yes. However, each booking is treated as an independent allocation. Back-to-back bookings do not extend resources without interruption. You must save your work before the end of each booking to avoid data loss.
Why do I need to provide justification for my request?
A justification is required to help us review and validate your request. Additionally, during the pilot phase we are trying to evaluate where resources are constrained, how, and for whom. The justification section helps us evaluate how workflows for more intense workloads are arising in the vRDC.
What should I include in my request justification?
Please see the following examples of a request justification.
Example 1: When I try to load my data it gets slow after a few minutes and task-manager shows 16/16GB memory used. 64GB is bigger than my dataset so it should load.
Example 2: I am using parallel processing within R and would like to complete my simulations more quickly. The additional cores and memory are required to calculate multiple estimates of model parameters simultaneously. Even though the model CAN run on the current configuration, it is expected to take six weeks.
What is the reference number?
Once your form is successfully submitted, you will receive a reference number. Please retain this number for any future correspondence related to your request.
What happens when resources are deprovisioned?
Resources will be deprovisioned on the end date of your request at 9:59 p.m. EST. After this time, your machine will be disconnected from the server and any unsaved work will be lost.
On the final day of your resource allocation, you will receive an email reminder. You must save and back up all files and data before deprovisioning to prevent data loss.
If you require continued access, you may submit a new request. Back-to-back bookings do not extend existing resources without interruption. You will need to ensure your work is saved prior to the end of each booking.
What should I do if I need to cancel my request?
Please contact the support team at it_ti@crdcn.ca and provide the reference number of the request you would like to cancel.
Will my request add resources to all of my projects?
No, resources will only be added to the project number that you have identified in the request.
Will my request add resources to all users on my project?
Yes, resources will be added to the project, any project user will have the benefit of the added resources.