1st June – 5th June 2026
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
If you have some experience as an HPC Linux system administrator and want to expand your skills, this is the workshop for you! In just five days you will:
- Strengthen your overall knowledge of HPC system administration
- Focus in depth on file systems and storage, HPC networks, job schedulers, and Ceph
- Get hands-on training and discuss real-life stories with experienced HPC administrators
Those who have attended an LCI Introductory Workshop in the past are especially encouraged to attend!
Prerequisite: One year of experience with cluster administration
NOTE: If you plan to submit an application for the Charlie Bender Scholarship, do NOT register for the workshop until after you have submitted your application, a decision has been made, and you have been notified. This will take place well in advance of the early registration deadline.
Schedule
Monday, June 1st 2026
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Welcome and Opening
9:00am – Lecture: Storage Infrastructure & Trends
10:00am – Lecture: HPC-relevant File Systems & Future Trends
10:30am – Break
11:00am – Lecture: Common HPC FS – Lustre & BeeGFS Pt. 1
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Lecture: Common HPC FS – Lustre & BeeGFS Pt. 2
2:30pm – Break
3:00pm – Lab: Lustre & BeeGFS
Tuesday, June 2nd 2026
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Lecture: Common HPC FS – GPFS & Ceph Pt. 1
10:30am – Break
11:00am – Lab: GPFS/Ceph Pt. 1
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Lab: GPFS/Ceph Pt. 2
2:30pm – Break
3:00pm – Basics of Storage Management in HPC
Wednesday, June 3rd 2026
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Lecture: Workload Management Overview
9:30am – Lecture: Survey of Schedulers
10:00 – Break
10:30am – Lecture: Managing Slurm
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Lecture: Limiting Resource (C Groups/Containers/etc.)
2:00pm – Lab: Slurm Hands-On
3:30pm – Break
4:00pm – Lecture: User Software – Modules
Thursday, June 4th 2026
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Lecture: User Software – Containers
10:30am – Break
11:00am – Lecture: HPC Monitoring
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Lab: HPC Monitoring
2:00pm – Lecture: Network Monitoring & PerfSonar
3:30pm – Break
4:00pm – Cybersecurity for HPC
Friday, June 5th 2026
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Lecture: Config Management
9:30am – Lab: Configuration Management Pt. 1
10:00am – Break
10:30am – Lab: Configuration Management Pt. 2
11:00am – Panel Discussion
12:00pm – Boxed Lunches to Go
The Linux Cluster Institute Intermediate Workshop is being held at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA.
Location
Singer Hall Room 222
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
Google Maps link
Campus map (interactive)
Campus map (PDF version)
Singer Hall is a newer campus building. Enter through the main doors adjacent to the large glass windows and take the elevator or stairs upstairs to room 222.
Transportation
Airport
The Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a 15-minute drive from Swarthmore College. Rental cars are available at the airport as are cabs, Uber, and Lyft. A SEPTA Regional Rail line services the airport and Swarthmore College, but will take about an hour and a change of trains.
Bus
Swarthmore is located within the Greater Philadelphia area. There is extensive intercity bus service to Philadelphia itself; providers include Greyhound Lines, Fullington Trailways, Martz Trailways, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and NJ Transit. SEPTA Regional Rail and bus services link the downtown terminal with Swarthmore.
Rail
Swarthmore is located within the Greater Philadelphia area. There is extensive Amtrak service to Philadelphia itself; there is a SEPTA Regional Rail station on the Swarthmore campus with hourly service to downtown Philadelphia (Media/Wawa line).
Driving & Parking
Driving directions to Swarthmore College can be found on Swarthmore’s website:
https://www.swarthmore.edu/visitors/directions-to-campus
For those driving, we can provide a printable pass to use when parking on campus.
The Whittier parking lot is next to Singer Hall, our meeting space. Link to the Whittier Parking lot on the campus map.
View additional parking lots on the campus map.
Lodging
Swarthmore has an affiliated lodging option on campus: The Inn at Swarthmore. The SEPTA train stops adjacent to the Inn, and It’s a short (uphill) walk, or a quick drive, from the Inn to the classroom. For those driving, other close options include the Hampton Inn in Media and the Courtyard by Marriott Springfield. A complete list of area hotels is available on Swarthmore’s Lodging Guide page.
Weather
The average high/low temperatures in June in Philadelphia are 84° / 67°.
Restaurants
Swarthmore College’s dining guide page contains a long list of local restaurants.
There are several restaurants located in the town of Swarthmore, all of which are an easy walk from the Inn at Swarthmore.
- The Broad Table Tavern is located at the Inn at Swarthmore.
- Aria Mediterranean Cuisine – closed Monday
- Bamboo Bistro (Chinese) – closed Monday
- Renato Pizza
There are many more restaurants in the town of Media, PA, which is about a 10-minute drive. Notable options include:
The SEPTA Media/Wawa Regional Rail line travels directly from Swarthmore to center city Philadelphia, for those looking for more culinary options.
Wi-Fi
Swarthmore College offers eduroam. If your institution doesn’t participate in eduroam, you can use the Swat Guest network: Instructions for connecting to guest wireless.
Contact Jason Mierek (mierek@illinois.edu) with any questions, comments, or concerns.