In late 2018 eResearch SA (eRSA) announced that it was closing down at the end of February 2019.
Information and Digital Services (IDS), via Digital Research Services (DRS) and Digital Platforms & Operations (DPO), have arranged with the other eRSA partners, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, to keep eRSA high performance computing (HPC), virtual machine (VM), and data storage services operational until at least the end of March 2019.
Digital Research Services (DRS) and Digital Platforms & Operations (DPO) will use this breathing space to establish a new local HPC and data storage solution, and transition users progressively over the first half of the year.
This new Flinders solution, comprising high-end DELL hardware and services, has already been acquired and is being commissioned in February, at which time existing eRSA researcher services will be progressively migrated. Digital Research Services (DRS) has already consulted with over 100 affected researchers to develop migration plans based on common usage patterns.
The new HPC service will deliver a core enterprise HPC service where moderate usage is delivered at no cost to researchers or Colleges. Options for HPC services exceeding moderate usage of the core service will be investigated in the second half of 2019. These services will require additional funding before they can be facilitated.
If you are a researcher who uses an existing eRSA service and you have not been contacted by phone, email, or in person, by Romana Challans or Sally Wheldrake of Digital Research Services (DRS), please contact them as soon as possible to discuss transitioning your service.
Unfortunately the migration process will require some unavoidable downtime. Information and Digital Services (IDS) will work with affected researchers to minimise downtime and ensure data is preserved. We will continue to update all known users as planning continues and exact timeframes are determined.
We thank researchers for their patience and understanding during this difficult change. If you have any questions about the process or would like to discuss your needs, you can contact us via digitalresearchservices@flinders.edu.au.