CVL@Wiener

 

Getting Started

The information below includes instructions for researchers on how to get started with CVL@Wiener and access the installed scientific imaging tools through the CVL Desktop.

Technical user guides for accessing and using Wiener can be found on the Wiener page at The University of Queensland, Research Computing Centre website.

To access a CVL desktop, you must have a staff account (or associate staff account or postgraduate student account) with The University of Queensland.

To get the smoothest experience with using CVL@Wiener, it is also advisable to have set up a “Q” folder in Research Data Manager at The University of Queensland.

 

Getting Started on a CVL desktop involves four easy steps:

  • Step 1

    Request an account on Wiener.

  • Step 2 (optional)

    Link a Q folder from UQ RDM

  • Step 3

    Connect to a Wiener desktop

 

Requesting an account for a CVL@Wiener Desktop

  • Step 1: email helpdesk QBI IT

If you have University of Queensland login credentials and have the need to use infrastructure resources such as HPC and GPUs you can request an account on Wiener.

If you are based at a QCIF member institution in Queensland, you will also be eligible to apply for a CVL@Wiener account. In order to login to the Wiener cluster, you will need a UQ staff associate account. You can liaise with your local eResearch Analyst to help you with applying for a UQ staff associate account.

Once you have a UQ staff or UQ staff associate IT account, you can apply for access to the Wiener HPC cluster by sending an email to the QBI helpdesk. In your email, you should provide information about the research you will be doing, and include your reason for needing to access CVL on Wiener. The email should ask to be added to the wiener-cvl group.

More information about the Wiener HPC is available here.

When setting up your access to CVL@Wiener, you can also optionally request to have a UQ data collection mounted for access to your data from within CVL. To do this, you will need to create a ‘Q’ collection folder within UQ Research Data Manager. Only projects that start with ‘Q’ are eligible for mounting to HPC. Also, please note that no identifiable data (such as human data which has not been deidentified) can not be mounted to HPC. Once you have created a ‘Q’ folder, you can send a request to the QBI helpdesk to have it mounted to Wiener HPC. Collections will be available within 30 minutes after mounting.

Connecting to a CVL@Wiener Desktop

There are several ways you can connect to a CVL desktop. The most common path is to use Strudel. You can use either the Strudel Web or Strudel Desktop application. Strudel Web allows users to access CVL via a web browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Users can choose the node of CVL they would like to access using the desktop selector. The Strudel Desktop application can also be installed locally for users who are experiencing difficulties with connection speed and would prefer a local client to improve performance. FastX is an alternative access path that exists on-site at UQ campuses and is optimised for visualisation. SSH access is also supported for CVL@Wiener.

About Strudel

Strudel is a cross-platform application that is used to access interactive desktop sessions on the high-performance computing systems and cloud environments used by the CVL.

There are two options for launching a desktop: using the Strudel web client or installing the Strudel application on your machine. The pros and cons for each are:

  • Strudel Web:

    • Pros: Quick and easy, no install required

    • Cons: cut and paste is performed via a pop up; no control over desktop resolution; some processes may run more slowly than they would be using the installed application

  • Strudel Desktop:

    • Pros: some processes may run faster than they would be using the web client

    • Cons: requires software installation and maintenance

If you’d like advice on which client might be best for your purposes contact us.

CVL@Wiener Terms of Use

Use of the CVL is subject to terms of use. To find out more about the terms of use for Wiener HPC, please contact the Research Computing Centre at UQ.
CVL@Wiener is supported and operated by The University of Queensland. Use of CVL@Wiener is subject to 6.20.06 Acceptable Use of UQ ICT Resources.

Need help?

Visit CVL desktop FAQs
For assistance with accounts and getting started with the CVL, contact the QBI helpdesk.

ImagingTools is an initiative of the Australian Characterisation Commons at Scale (ACCS) Project. ACCS is supported by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). 
The ARDC is enabled by NCRIS.

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