HPC Backup

HPC Cluster Upgrade: Data Backup Guide (March 2026)

Maintenance Window	Starting 27th March 2026
Backup Location	/backup/<username>
Storage Limit	10 GB per user
Recommended Data	Source code, scripts, configuration files, and small datasets.

Overview

During the extensive upgrade planned from 27th March, we aim to keep all data intact. However, as a safety measure against any untoward incidents, all users are requested to back up their critical work from /data/home/<username> to the temporary backup partition.

Step 1: Verify Current Usage

Check the size of your home directory to ensure you stay within the 10 GB limit for the backup partition.

du -sh /data/home/$USER

Step 2: Compress Your Critical Files

To save space and speed up the transfer, we recommend creating a compressed archive (tarball) of your code and scripts.

# Create a compressed backup of a specific project
tar -czvf ~/my_code_backup_$(date +%F).tar.gz /data/home/$USER/my_project_folder

Step 3: Synchronize to Backup Directory

Use rsync to copy your files to the dedicated backup path. This tool ensures file integrity during the transfer.

Option A: Copying a Compressed Archive (Recommended)

rsync -ahP ~/my_code_backup_*.tar.gz /backup/$USER/

Option B: Copying a Directory Directly

rsync -ahP /data/home/$USER/important_folder /backup/$USER/

Step 4: Verification

Confirm your files are present and check the total space used in the backup directory:

ls -lh /backup/$USER/
du -sh /backup/$USER/

Handling Large Data (>10 GB)

If you have a genuine need to back up more than 10 GB:

1. Local Download: Download the data to your local machine using SCP or SFTP.
2. Contact IT/HPC Admic: If local download is not feasible, contact the IT team for alternative arrangements. Email: [email protected]