Introduction

Researchers who wish to use the WestGrid systems must apply for a WestGrid user account, giving information to establish their identity and their intended usage, and users must agree to abide by the WestGrid Conditions of Use. The WestGrid account is given to an individual and is not to be shared or delegated.

Please read the Conditions of Use page in this section. It explains who is eligible for a WestGrid account, what it may and may not be used for,and other requirements.

Please read the Getting an Account page in this section for the procedure to apply for an account.

The Resource Allocations page explains how computing and other resources are allocated between all the users.

Sharing Files

Sharing accounts is not permitted, but sharing files is.

If you have a group of users who would like to share files, ask us and we can set up a "Share Group" for you.

Each WestGrid account is in its own group. When a Share Group is set up and the desired users added to it, you can use standard unix commands to make the files you wish to shared owned by that group and permitted to that group. See How to use a Share Group.

Shared Account

Sharing WestGrid user accounts is not permitted, but there is a special kind of account which we can set up for projects. Some projects need the ability to allow several users to start jobs in one ID.

A "Shared Account" cannot be logged into by password access at all. Specified users may access the shared account may by using ssh and their GridCanada certificate.