Frequently Asked Questions

What is CIRRUS?

CIRRUS is a JupyterHub server for student, staff, and faculty research at Northern Illinois University (NIU). It was primarily funded by faculty in the Weather, Climate, Society research group at NIU. This page provides a nice description of a JupyterHub server and why it is useful.

How do I get started?

To begin using CIRRUS, email Dr. Gensini for login credentials. Search the web if you are a novice looking to learn more about Jupyter notebooks and Python (e.g., there are thousands of videos on YouTube). 

How can I get a new library installed?

E-mail Dr. Gensini if you would like a new package installed on the CIRRUS server. This can be for installment in the PyEAE environment or for the creation of a new environment.

Where can I place my data?

All users have an allocation in /home/$USER, but this is limited to 32 GB (designed for scripts, notebooks, and short-term storage). Please place your research or longer-term data in /home/scratch/$USER. If you do not have a directory in /home/scratch, please make one using the `mkdir` command or contact Dr. Gensini for guidance.

For even larger data (> 1 TB per file or > 10 TB all files), please contact Dr. Gensini.

Can I get a clone of the pyEAE environment for home use?

Sure! Check out the environment.yml file.