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Research Computing
Overview
Access to specialized, high-speed research networks permit faculty at the University of Pittsburgh to collaborate with colleagues and work on advanced projects. Researchers at the University have access to the Internet2 network and the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet).
The University of Pittsburgh is also a charter member of KINBER, the Keystone Initiative for Network-Based Education and Research. The University is also actively engaged in the establishment of the Pennsylvania Research and Education Network (PennREN).
Our Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) service is provides students, faculty, and staff with a secure online location to store, manage, and share lab data.
Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the University has developed a ScienceDMZ network engineered specifically to support data-intensive science. The Science DMZ is optimized for high-performance scientific applications and the transfer of large research data sets over high-speed wide area networks. The Enterprise Data Transfer Node (DTN) was developed as the first service on the ScienceDMZ. It uses Globus Connect software to provide faculty and researchers a convenient and effective way to transfer data files to and from Pitt high-performance computing resources.
We have designed a special Research Firewall Zone to meet the advanced collaboration requirements of the University's research community. Its purpose is to support collaboration with external parties while protecting the University's computing environment.
Our Network Operations Center hosts the high-performance computing cluster for the Center for Research Computing, which helps facilitate computational-based research across the University. Pitt Information Technology has also built an Enterprise Data Transfer Node. It leverages the Science DMZ, enabling Pitt researchers to securely transfer large data files between the Center for Research Computing’s high-performance computing cluster and other locations, including other research computing facilities and national supercomputing facilities.
The University's membership in the InCommon Federation enables anyone at Pitt to use their University Computing Account username and password to access resources from the National Institutes of Health, EDUCAUSE, and other national organizations.