Best Practices

Best Practices#

Modeled on the CryoCloud Best Practices

Server Launch Configuration#

After logging in and clicking Launch server, there are two options to select: environment and resource allocation.

Environment Selection#

  • Select Pangeo Notebook Image to start a Python environment with a set of common geoscience packages including those from the Pangeo ecosystem

  • This is the environment required to run our example notebooks

Resource Allocation#

  • Please select the smallest resource (RAM and CPUs) which can meet your needs for a given workflow

  • The higher resource options cost us significantly more

  • You can see your memory usage at the bottom of the screen when working in a notebook

Cost Management#

Server Shutdown#

To avoid unnecessary costs, please shutdown your server when you finish on the Hub:

  1. File > Hub Control Panel > Stop Server

  2. Once the Stop Server button disappears, your server has stopped

  3. Click Log Out

  4. Close that browser tab before starting the server again to prevent errors

Automatic Shutdown#

The hub will automatically shut off after 90 minutes without activity.

⏱️ Performance Notes#

  • Server startup can take a minute or two when first launching

  • Package installations using pip (% pip install packagename) only last for the duration of that session

💾 Storage Management#

File Storage Guidelines#

  • Keep saved files in your home directory to a minimum

  • Let us know if you need to store more than around 10GB

  • We recommend workflows which:

    • Stream data without downloading to a file, OR

    • Automatically delete files after using them

Check Usage#

You can check total usage by running the following command in a terminal:

du -hs --exclude="shared*" ~/

Intended Use#

Primary Purpose#

This resource is principally intended for analysis of climate model simulations of SRM simulations.

Not Intended For#

❌ Running climate models in the cloud - This would take orders of magnitude more computing resources.

Quick Reference#

Action

Steps

Start Server

Login → Launch Server → Select Environment → Select Resources

Stop Server

File → Hub Control Panel → Stop Server → Log Out

Check Storage

Run du -hs --exclude="shared*" ~/ in terminal

Install Packages

Use % pip install packagename (session-only)

Following these best practices helps ensure efficient resource usage and cost management for all users.