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b5d2bc2
Initial version of the CSC services for courses page
Nov 20, 2025
5c8dfe2
Added an alternative table format of the restrictions.
Nov 20, 2025
18fd5e5
Merge branch 'master' into services-for-courses
rkronberg Dec 3, 2025
2a97850
Merge branch 'main' into services-for-courses
Dec 5, 2025
1cc4e2c
Changed text into a table. Added link to the documentation main page.
Dec 5, 2025
279afc2
Version 2 of HPC section, combined content from PR #2658
Dec 5, 2025
c720b2b
Updates to HPC and introduction
galfthan Dec 5, 2025
def481d
Document service breaks for maintenance
galfthan Dec 5, 2025
7af225e
restructure a bit
rkronberg Dec 8, 2025
647353f
Merge branch 'master' into services-for-courses
rkronberg Dec 8, 2025
c4c4976
suggestion for hpc content
rkronberg Dec 8, 2025
f1771b4
Added initial draft version of the rest of the available services.
Dec 9, 2025
ec4f2f6
Updated based on feedback from service owners.
Dec 9, 2025
4f36fcb
Unified terminology, updated Rahti section based on PO comments.
Dec 9, 2025
221f4fe
Merge branch 'master' into services-for-courses
tolonenj Dec 9, 2025
64e809f
Updated based on feedback from service owners. Also fixed some typos.
Dec 12, 2025
02af064
Changed services each to their own tab.
Dec 12, 2025
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Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/master' into services-for-courses
Dec 12, 2025
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11 changes: 6 additions & 5 deletions docs/support/tutorials/index.md
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Expand Up @@ -33,6 +33,12 @@
* [Running Nextflow pipelines](nextflow-tutorial.md)
* [Running Snakemake pipelines on Puhti](snakemake-puhti.md)

## Resources for courses

* [Organizing a course using CSC services](services-for-courses.md)
* [A Puhti web interface demo for course organizers](https://github.com/CSCfi/Jupyter_www_puhti)
* [Noppe environment for creating custom notebooks](../../cloud/noppe/guide_for_teachers.md#creating-custom-images)

## Allas

* [Using Allas interactively in Puhti and Mahti](../../data/Allas/allas-hpc.md)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -104,8 +110,3 @@ You can find Rahti tutorials in [Cloud Services > Rahti > Tutorials](../../cloud
## Visualisation

* [Blender tutorial](blender-tutorial.md)

## CSC Resources for Courses

* [A Puhti webinterface demo for course organizers](https://github.com/CSCfi/Jupyter_www_puhti)
* [Noppe environment for creating custom notebooks](../../cloud/noppe/guide_for_teachers.md#creating-custom-images)
347 changes: 347 additions & 0 deletions docs/support/tutorials/services-for-courses.md
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# How to organize a course using CSC resources

CSC services can be used for educational purposes in accordance with our
[free-of-charge use policy](https://research.csc.fi/free-of-charge-use/).

The maximum lifetime of a CSC Course project, including all its enabled services,
is six months. It is not possible to extend or transfer an existing CSC Course project.

This guide outlines how to organize a course using [Allas](#allas), [cPouta](#cpouta),
[Noppe](#noppe), [CSC supercomputers Puhti and Mahti](#puhti-and-mahti), [Pukki](#pukki),
[Rahti](#rahti) and [SD Desktop](#sensitive-data-sd-desktop). The guide also includes advice on
[how to select the most suitable service for your needs](#which-service-should-i-choose).

=== "Allas"

!!! info
Please note that the data will only be available for the duration of
the CSC Course project.

Allas is a Ceph-based object storage system. It is designed for storing and sharing large
volumes of data. Data can be accessed from other CSC services, such as cPouta, Puhti and
Mahti, or directly via the website: <https://allas.csc.fi>.

Data can be accessed using tools and programming languages based on S3 or Swift interfaces.

## Instructions

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add Allas service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. If you need to restrict access to data to students only, invite them to the project:
1. [using an invitation link](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#using-invitation-link) (recommended)
2. [or directly](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#adding-members-directly).
5. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../data/Allas/index.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

### Student

If the course-related data is not publicly available but is shared:

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. Join the course project:
1. If you've been sent a project invitation link, [accept the invitation in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#member).
2. If you've been added directly to the course project, no further actions are required to join the course project.
3. [Accept the relevant terms of service in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#member).

=== "cPouta"

!!! info
Please note that the resources will only be available for the duration of
the CSC Course project. Also if each student needs to manage own virtual
infrastructure, they should create a CSC Student project and activate
the cPouta service within that project.

cPouta is an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platform based on OpenStack technology.
It is ideal for use cases requiring an internet-accessible Linux server.

A variety of virtual machine options are available, ranging from small machines to
I/O-intensive or GPU-enabled ones. These virtual machines can be accessed from
the internet via a public IPv4 address.

The OpenStack platform can be administered either through the web interface or
using command line tools.

## Instructions

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add cPouta service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. Based on the nature of your course:
1. In case of an infrastructure with few machines and an access, use Linux's own
tools to create accounts for students.
2. If each student needs their own virtual infrastructure, ask them to create a student project.
3. If students need to modify shared infrastructure, invite them to the project:
1. [using an invitation link](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#using-invitation-link) (recommended)
2. [or directly](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#adding-members-directly).
5. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../cloud/pouta/index.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

!!! warning "Sufficient quota"
If you end up using a shared cPouta virtual infrastructure with a large number of students,
please ensure that the project quota is sufficient. If not, either request an increase
to the quota (<servicedesk@csc.fi>) or ask the students to create their own CSC Student projects instead.

### Student

1. In case of an own cPouta virtual infrastructure, follow these instructions to find out how to create
a student project: [Getting started with CSC services for students](student_quick.md). Then, add cPouta service to that project.
2. If access to the teacher's CSC Course project's OpenStack control plane is required:
1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. Join the course project:
1. If you've been sent a project invitation link, [accept the invitation in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#member).
2. If you've been added directly to the course project, no further actions are required to join the course project.
3. [Accept the relevant terms of service in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#member).

=== "Noppe"

Motivation why to use Noppe here.

## Instructions

### Teacher

[Please see the guide for teachers](../../cloud/noppe/guide_for_teachers.md).

### Student

[Please see the guide for student](../../cloud/noppe/guide_for_students.md).

=== "Puhti and Mahti"

!!! info "Puhti and Mahti will be retired in 2026"
Puhti and Mahti will be decommissioned in 2026 and replaced by Roihu, CSC's
next-generation supercomputer offering enhanced performance and
capabilities. Please take this into account when planning courses for 2026.

[Learn more about Roihu :material-arrow-right:](../../computing/systems-roihu.md)

CSC supercomputers Mahti and Puhti are ideal platforms for organizing courses
that benefit from HPC resources or aim to teach how to use and run computations
on supercomputing platforms. This includes cases where the course participants
need access to GPUs or larger CPU resources, and cases where the existing
software stack is used for the course assignments.

The systems support both traditional command-line
[batch processing compute tasks](../../computing/running/getting-started.md), as well as
web-based tools such as Jupyter Notebooks and RStudio via the
[web interfaces](../../computing/webinterface/index.md). Course organizers are
even able to create customized Jupyter Notebook environments for their course
using the
[Jupyter for Courses](../../computing/webinterface/jupyter-for-courses.md) app.

Please note that courses using CSC supercomputers can have **at maximum 50
students**. Ideally, teachers should target a smaller number of around 25
participants. For larger courses the free resources and allowed resource
reservations may not support the requested amount of users.

It is also recommended to request an advance resource reservation for courses
to guarantee the availability of resources.
[Read more below](#advance-resource-reservation).

!!! warning "Service breaks"
Please note that the first Tuesday and Wednesday of each month are reserved
for regular maintenance breaks. You should never rely on the services being
available on those days.

## Instructions

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add Puhti and/or Mahti service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. Invite students to the project either by
1. [using an invitation link](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#using-invitation-link) (recommended)
2. [or directly](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#adding-members-directly).
5. [Request an advance resource reservation](#advance-resource-reservation).
6. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../computing/index.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

### Student

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. Join the course project:
1. If you've been sent a project invitation link, [accept the invitation in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#member).
2. If you've been added directly to the course project, no further actions are required to join the course project.
3. [Accept the relevant terms of service in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#member).

## Advance resource reservation

Course projects are subject to the same Slurm job priority policies as regular
computing projects, meaning that **course participants may need to queue for
resources** if the system is under heavy use. To ensure the availability of
resources at the time of the course session(s), we recommend requesting for an
_advance resource reservation_. Please note:

* The resource reservation must be requested **at least 14 days** before
the start of the course via [CSC Service Desk](../contact.md).
* The request should be motivated and include
1. The course project number,
2. the number of participants,
3. the resources planned for the course,
4. timetable showing the schedule of the course.
* The maximum amount and type of reservable resources are outlined in the
table below.

| System | Approval | CPU limit | GPU limit | Max. daily time window | Max. course days in total |
|--------|----------|-----------|-----------|------------------------|---------------------------|
| Puhti | Automatic | 2 nodes (80 cores) | 0 | 08:00–17:00 | 5 |
| | CSC Resource Allocation Group | 5 nodes (200 cores) | 4 nodes (16 GPUs) | Up to 12 hrs (e.g., 08:00–20:00 or 12:00–24:00) | 10 |
| Mahti | Automatic | 2 nodes (256 cores) | 14 [GPU slices](../../computing/running/batch-job-partitions.md#gpu-slices) | 08:00–17:00 | 5 |
| | CSC Resource Allocation Group | 8 nodes (1024 cores) | 56 [GPU slices](../../computing/running/batch-job-partitions.md#gpu-slices) | Up to 12 hrs (e.g., 08:00–20:00 or 12:00–24:00) | 10 |

A granted advance resource reservation will be visible in the form for
launching an interactive session in the web interfaces. Note that the option
will be greyed out until the start of the reservation.

In batch job scripts, the advance resource reservation is activated using the
Slurm directive:

```bash
#SBATCH --reservation=<reservation name>
```

Please note that the project number and partition must match what has been
specified for the advance resource reservation.

## Which service should I choose?

The following table compares Noppe vs. Puhti and Mahti in order to help
selecting the most suitable service for your course.

| Feature | | Noppe | Puhti | Mahti |
|---------|---------|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|
| Prerequisites | | | | |
| | CSC Course project required | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Teacher needs CSC account | &#9989; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Students need CSC accounts | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| User interface | | | | |
| | Web interface | &#9989; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Command-line interface | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| Graphical apps | | | | |
| | Jupyter Notebooks | &#9989; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | RStudio | &#9989; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | MATLAB | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | TensorBoard | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | MLflow | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | VS Code | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Remote desktop | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Remote desktop with GPU acceleration | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#10060; |
| Resources | | |
| | CPU | &#9989; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | GPU | &#10060; | &#9989; | &#9989; |
| | Shared storage quota | 20 GiB | 1 TiB | 1 TiB |

=== "Pukki"

Pukki is a Database-as-a-service (DBaaS), where you can launch a new database
"with a simple click". Pukki automates away the database maintenance and
administrative tasks of other services so that the teacher can focus on using/teaching
the actual topic of databases.

Instead of manually setting up your own database that you have to maintain yourself,
you can use DBaaS to manage the tedious tasks of provisioning, configuring, maintaining,
updating, documenting and backing up your database.

## Instructions

!!! info
If each student needs their own Pukki DBaaS instance, they should create
a CSC Student project and activate the Pukki service within that project.

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add Pukki service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. Based on the nature of your course:
1. In case of one database, use its tools to create accounts for students.
2. If each student needs their own database, ask them to create a student project.
5. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../cloud/dbaas/index.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

### Student

1. Follow these instructions to find out how to create a student project: [Getting started with CSC services for students](student_quick.md)
2. Then, add Pukki service to that project.

=== "Rahti"

Rahti is an orchestration service for containers that runs on OKD. Educators
can launch services to be used on a course, or Rahti can form part of the course itself.
The service is for example useful for teaching CI/CD pipelines.

Like cPouta, Rahti offers similar multipurpose technology, but without the burden
of having to maintain the operating system yourself. A variety of ready-made templates
can be used with just one click, saving you the trouble of installing services as you
would in cPouta.

## Instructions

!!! info
If students should **not** have access to others' Rahti environments,
they should use a CSC Student project instead.

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add Rahti service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. Based on the nature of your course:
1. If each student needs isolated Rahti namespace environment, ask them to create a student project.
2. If students sharing and seeing each other's environments is not a problem,
invite students to the project either by
1. [using an invitation link](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#using-invitation-link) (recommended)
2. [or directly](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#adding-members-directly).
5. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../cloud/rahti/index.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

### Student

1. If an isolated Rahti namespace environment is required, follow these instructions
to find out how to create a student project: [Getting started with CSC services for students](student_quick.md)
1. then, add Rahti service to that project.
2. Or if an access to a shared container environment is required:
1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. Join the course project:
1. If you've been sent a project invitation link, [accept the invitation in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#member).
2. If you've been added directly to the course project, no further actions are required to join the course project.
3. [Accept the relevant terms of service in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#member).

=== "SD Desktop"

Sensitive Data (SD) Desktop allows you to analyze sensitive research data from
your web browser securely. With this user interface, you can easily manage
a virtual computer (here called desktop, technically defined as virtual machine).

## Instructions

### Teacher

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. [Create a CSC Course project](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-project.md#course).
3. [Add Sensitive Data (SD) Desktop service access to the project](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#project-manager).
4. Invite students to the project either by
1. [using an invitation link](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#using-invitation-link) (recommended)
2. [or directly](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#adding-members-directly).
5. Prepare the course content.
1. [Consult the documentation](../../data/sensitive-data/sd_desktop.md).
2. [Contact CSC Service Desk if you need support](../contact.md).

### Student

1. [Create a CSC user account](../../accounts/how-to-create-new-user-account.md).
2. Join the course project:
1. If you've been sent a project invitation link, [accept the invitation in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-members-to-project.md#member).
2. If you've been added directly to the course project, no further actions are required to join the course project.
3. [Accept the relevant terms of service in MyCSC](../../accounts/how-to-add-service-access-for-project.md#member).