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Draft

This documentation is in draft and under active review. Figures for the Fall 2026 GPU reservation system are not yet published, and some pages describe behavior that has not been verified against a primary source. Confirm any figure with parasol@ucsd.edu before relying on it.

Coursework

Taking or Teaching a Course

Each guide is written for one role and states at the start what it assumes you know.

Course access comes from the roster. Students do not request anything. Instructors request the course workspace before the term starts.

Using Datahub in a Course

For students in a course that uses Datahub. The guide assumes only a web browser.

Start in the browser

Working from the Command Line

For students whose course needs SSH, launch.sh, batch jobs, VS Code, or a GPU class the course menu lacks. The guide assumes a terminal.

Start in a terminal

Teaching with Datahub and PARASOL

For instructors and TAs, from requesting a course to grading its notebooks. Most tasks need only a browser.

Set up a course

Outside a scheduled course

Projects and Research

A project or research workspace is separate from any course workspace. It has its own eligibility, resources, and access dates. These guides assume you are comfortable in a shell.

Projects & Independent Study

For independent study, capstones, and club or team projects. The guide explains eligibility and the request form.

Request project access

Research on PARASOL

For graduate students, postdocs, undergraduates, and staff researchers working without a lab workspace.

Start your research

Setting Up a Research Lab

For faculty arranging access for a group. IT Services staff carry out some of the steps.

Set up a lab

Eligibility and access

How Each Group Gets Access

  1. Students in a course

    Access comes from the course roster. When Access Starts & Ends says when enrollment changes reach PARASOL.

  2. Instructors

    Request the course through the Specialized Instructional Computing Course Request. See Requesting a Course.

  3. Student projects and independent study

    Submit the Independent Study Request with the project scope and what it needs to run. See Eligibility & Requesting Access.

  4. Researchers and labs

    Ask Research IT whether PARASOL fits the project, then follow Research on PARASOL or Setting Up a Research Lab. Support for research work is from rcd-support@ucsd.edu.

If you are not sure which applies, email parasol@ucsd.edu.

Before your first session

Rules That Apply to Everyone

02

The Login Node

The login node only launches jobs and moves files. Run your work in a session. See The Login Node.

03

Service Units for GPUs

Booked or on demand, a GPU session draws on your workspace's Service Unit budget. See Service Units & Budgets.

04

Idle GPU Sessions

A session that sits idle long enough is stopped. Save work as you go. See What Ends a Session.

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