Fundamentals¶
This section covers the foundational knowledge you'll need to work confidently on Unity. If the Getting Started track got you connected and running your first job, Fundamentals is where you build real fluency.
The material is organized into two tracks that you can work through independently:
Navigating the Cluster¶
Everything you need to operate day-to-day on a Linux-based HPC system, from basic shell commands to moving data in and out of the cluster.
| Page | What you'll learn |
|---|---|
| Linux Basics | Essential command-line skills: navigating directories, managing files, and reading documentation |
| Advanced Linux | Permissions, pipes, redirection, environment variables, and shell configuration |
| Environment Modules | Finding, loading, and managing software versions on the cluster |
| Editing Files | Practical use of nano and vi — the editors available on every cluster node |
| Storage | The different storage tiers on Unity and when to use each one |
| Transferring Data | Moving files between your computer and the cluster with scp, rsync, and Globus |
| Job Scheduling | How Slurm decides what runs when, and how to request the right resources |
| GPU Computing | What GPUs are, when they help, and how to request them for your jobs |
Parallel Programming¶
Understanding how work gets divided across processors and machines: the conceptual backbone of HPC.
| Page | What you'll learn |
|---|---|
| Parallel Programming Overview | The big picture: concurrent, parallel, and distributed paradigms and when each applies |
| Concurrent Programming | Interleaving tasks to exploit idle time in I/O-bound workloads |
| Parallel Computing | True simultaneous execution across multiple processors within a single machine |
| Distributed Computing | Scaling computation across multiple machines connected by a network |
Not sure where to start?
If you're new to Linux, begin with Linux Basics and work through the Navigating the Cluster track in order; each page builds on the previous one. The Parallel Programming track is more conceptual and can be read in any order, though starting with the overview will give you a helpful mental map.