Request New Condo Purchase

The Condo Cluster Program (CCP) is a service available to USC researchers who require dedicated resources for their work. The CCP gives researchers the convenience of having their own dedicated compute nodes on an HPC cluster system (CARC's Endeavour cluster), without the responsibility of purchasing and maintaining the nodes themselves.

The CCP has two pricing models: an annual subscription-based model and a traditional, five-year term condo purchase model. Subscriptions to resources can be requested in the same way that an allocation on Discovery is requested; see the Request New Allocation user guide for instructions on this. Condo purchases are a bit more in-depth, but can still be requested in the User Portal.

The condo purchase request period is currently open until January 15, 2022.

Condo purchase request period

A condo purchase request is possible during CARC's annual condo purchase request period, which occurs during the fall semester. The whole process of purchase request, system configuration, vendor selection, purchasing, system installation, and deployment typically takes six months. The purchased resources will be in service for 5 years, and after this service period, CARC will decommission these condo nodes.

Requesting a condo purchase

In the User Portal, navigate to the "Project" tab in the top dropdown menu. From the dropdown, select "Condo Purchase Requests":

On the Condo Purchase Requests page, you will see information on the CCP's condo purchase pricing model, including the deadline for purchase requests. You will also see any existing condo purchase requests you have made:

To request a new condo purchase, click the "New Purchase Request" button.

Condo purchase request form

You will be taken to a request form for purchases:

Select the models of CPU and/or GPU nodes you would like to purchase, as well as their quantities, and click "Add to cart". The estimated price for each type of node will update as you increase the quantity. You can see the updated total price for different models and quantities by clicking "Add to cart" again.

Note: The price for the nodes is an estimate only. The final price may vary based on market condition and CARC’s equipment purchase price. Pricing does not include interconnect hardware, second enclosure (racks), or utility costs for power and cooling, but CARC and USC's IT Services will cover the costs of this necessary service and equipment. PIs will not be charged any setup or recurring fees, including CARC administrative support costs.

Billing information

The fields in the Billing section are automatically filled from the billing information associated with your account as a PI. If this information hasn't been added to your account previously, you will need to complete the fields yourself. See the Adding Billing Information user guide for instructions. Billing information must be inputted to complete your purchase request.

Submitting your request

Before submitting your request, you will see the Terms and Conditions for CCP purchases. By submitting your request, you agree to these terms and conditions:

Click the check box and the blue "Submit" button to submit your request.

If you've made an error in your purchase request or if you need to cancel it, please submit a help ticket and select "Condo cluster" as the ticket category.

Purchase processing and approval

After submitting your request, you will see it on the Condo Purchase Request Page with a status of "Pending":

After a request has been submitted, the system configuration, vendor selection, purchasing, system installation, and deployment process typically takes six months. A JIRA ticket is created when a purchase request is submitted, and this ticket will be used to communicate with PIs and track the purchase progress. CARC will notify the PI of the finalized cost of their resources once they have purchased them from the vendor.

Additional information

Condo Cluster Program pages
CCP Purchase Pricing Model
Request New Allocation user guide (for condo subscriptions)
Getting Started with Endeavour user guide