LinuxHPC.org/Cluster Builder 1.3

Allocation Manager

An allocation manager (also known as an allocation bank or cpu bank) is a software system which helps manage and allocate HPC job rights, by providing a form of currency and allowing a job the right to use a particular amount of resources on the system according to certain prioritization levels.

An allocation manager functions much like a bank in that it provides a form of currency which allows jobs to run on an HPC system. The owners of the resource (cluster/supercomputer) determine how they want the system to be used over a particular timeframe, often a month, quarter, or year. To enforce their decisions, they distribute allocations to various projects via various accounts and assign each account an account manager. These allocations can be set and used over a particular set of resources and machines, or can also span across multiple sites in a globally shared environment. Allocations can also have activation and expiration dates associated with them. All transaction information is typically stored in a database or directory server allowing extensive statistical and allocation tracking. When a job is submitted, the user specifies which account should be charged for the resources consumed by the job. Default accounts may be specified to automate the account specification process in most cases.

Features/benefits

Allows for flexible sharing of computer resources among many users
Allows owners to determine how to use resources over a particular time frame.
Avoids idling the computing resources without minute-by-minute human interaction and supervision

Usage

Allocation Managers are primarily used to facilitate the sharing of resources between organizations or within a grid to achieve utilization gains. They can also be used to track the historical usage of resources, allowing organizations to make efficient decisions for current and future capacity planning.

Common Implementations

Open-Source Implementations

Gold Allocation Manager

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