Common questions about the platform refresh

NeSI is evolving its technology platform to ensure Aotearoa's national eResearch infrastructure and services are more accessible, responsive, and flexible to your needs. For more details visit the NeSI website.

Along the way, we'll use this page to share answers to some of the most common questions we're hearing from you.

When is this happening?

New equipment is being delivered as we speak and we've begun installing components in Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland's Tamaki Data Centre. New services aren't expected online before September 2024. We'll keep you updated as our timelines are confirmed. If you are enthusiastic to be among the first groups to try the new platform, please get in touch.

Will the software package I use be available on the new platforms?

All software currently supported on Mahuika's Milan nodes will be deployed. To view a list of software currently running on Mahuika, visit our Supported Applications page in our Support Documentation site. If you haven't tried running your code on the Milan nodes yet, visit this guide for instructions.

Will a long system outage be required as part of the migration of data and projects?

We're planning to run migration in stages in order to avoid any lengthy outages and to maintain a smooth user experience. We'll share information ongoing as we stage releases of various services and migrations of data and projects.

Do I need to move my data or software?

Projects and data will be migrated in staggered phases as systems become available. You might be asked to check and confirm your migration has been successful, and that you are able to continue your work. If you currently do not use Mahuika's Milan nodes, we recommend you test your workloads on those nodes now. Visit this guide for testing your code on Milan.

Do I need to create a user account?

All existing NeSI users will be migrated to the new systems. Your existing user account will work on the new systems, though you will be required to reset your password and second factor.

I'm currently running on Mahuika, will something change for me?

The platform NeSI has selected to replace Mahuika is similar to Mahuika's AMD Milan compute nodes. We're using these current Milan nodes to validate any issues. If you are already using the Milan nodes to support your work, no action is required from you at this point. If you are using Mahuika's Broadwell nodes or Māui, we recommend you test your workloads on Milan now.

I'm currently running on Māui, will something change for me?

Some projects on Māui will move to the new NeSI infrastructure. We have been in touch with those Māui projects and given them a small allocation on Mahuika which can be used to validate the software they need is available (or can be built) on Mahuika's AMD Milan nodes and works as expected. All members of the Māui project can use this Mahuika allocation. Visit this how-to guide for instructions of how to test your workloads on Milan.

Does this affect Nearline?

All NeSI compute and storage services will leverage the new infrastructure. Nearline is changing, leveraging different technology to deliver an easier to use cold storage solution. We'll share more details on this soon. No action is required from you at this stage. If you have workflows which touch Nearline we will update our docs as the replacement service comes online.

I have more questions that aren't covered here. Where can I go or who can I talk to for more information?

Reach out anytime - no question is too small. We are ready to respond - email us at support@nesi.org.nz and we also invite you to join our weekly Online Office Hours to chat with us one-to-one.