Getting Started with Open OnDemand (OOD)

Overview

Open OnDemand is a web portal for accessing the AI.Panther HPC cluster. It lets you launch interactive coding environments, manage files, submit jobs, and open a terminal — all from your browser. You must be on campus Wi-Fi or connected to the Florida Tech VPN to access the test instance.

Accessing OOD

Go to https://ood-test.fit.edu and sign in with your Florida Tech credentials. You will be prompted for DUO multi-factor authentication. After signing in, you will see the OOD dashboard.

You must be a member of the AI.Panther HPC group to access OOD. If you get an error after signing in, ask your faculty advisor or PI to submit an access request on your behalf:

AI.Panther HPC Access Request

The Dashboard

After logging in, the dashboard shows:

  • Pinned Apps — Quick-launch buttons for Code Server, Jupyter Lab, and Desktop. These are the interactive apps you will use most often.
  • Recently Used Apps — Apps you have launched recently for quick access.
  • Quick Links — Shortcuts to your home directory, terminal, job history, all available apps, this getting started guide, and a link to submit a support request.

Navigation Bar

The navigation bar at the top of the page has the following sections.

Files

Browse and manage files in your home directory. You can upload, download, create, rename, and delete files and folders. You can also view and edit text files directly in the browser.

Jobs

  • Job History — View your past Slurm jobs with status, runtime, and links to output files.
  • Active Jobs — See your currently running and queued jobs.
  • Job Composer — Create and submit batch jobs to the cluster. A default job template is provided with common SBATCH directives.

Clusters

  • Shell Access — Opens a terminal session on the cluster head node in your browser. Use this for running commands, submitting jobs with sbatch, managing virtual environments, and other command-line work.

Interactive Apps

Lists all available interactive applications (see below).

My Interactive Sessions

Shows your currently running interactive sessions with connection information and status.

Support

  • Getting Started — Links to this article.
  • Submit a Support Request — Opens a support ticket.

Interactive Apps

Interactive apps run as Slurm jobs on the compute nodes. When you launch one, you choose a partition, time limit, number of CPUs, and memory. The app starts on a compute node and you connect to it through your browser.

Code Server

A full VS Code editor in your browser. Use it for writing and editing code, running terminals, and installing extensions. Opens in a new browser tab.

Jupyter Lab

A Jupyter notebook environment for Python, data analysis, and scientific computing. Opens in a new browser tab. The system Python 3 is available by default.

To use your own packages, create a virtual environment in your home directory and register it as a Jupyter kernel:

python3 -m venv ~/myenv
source ~/myenv/bin/activate
pip install ipykernel
python -m ipykernel install --user --name myenv

Your new kernel will appear in the Jupyter launcher.

Desktop

A full graphical XFCE desktop session accessible through your browser via noVNC. Use this for GUI applications like Firefox or any software that requires a graphical interface.

Launching an Interactive App

  1. Click the app name from the dashboard or the Interactive Apps menu.
  2. Fill out the form:
    • Partition — Select a time-based partition: Short (up to 45 minutes), Med (up to 4 hours), or Long (up to 7 days). The time limit adjusts based on the partition you select.
    • Number of hours and minutes — How long you need the session. The app will shut down when time expires.
    • Number of CPUs — How many CPU cores to allocate (up to the maximum shown).
    • Memory (GB) — How much memory to allocate (up to the maximum shown).
  3. Click Launch.
  4. Your session will appear under My Interactive Sessions. It will show as Queued, then Starting, then Running.
  5. Once running, click Connect to open the app in a new tab.

Your session files (scripts, logs, connection info) are stored in your home directory. If a session ends unexpectedly, check the output log from the session card for error details.

File Management

Use Files in the navigation bar to browse your home directory. You can:

  • Upload files by dragging them into the browser or using the Upload button.
  • Download files by selecting them and clicking Download.
  • Create new files and directories.
  • Edit text files directly in the browser.
  • View file permissions and sizes.

Your home directory is shared across all nodes via NFS, so files you upload are immediately available in your interactive sessions and batch jobs.

Submitting Batch Jobs

For jobs that do not need an interactive session, use the Job Composer or the terminal.

Using the Job Composer

  1. Go to Jobs > Job Composer.
  2. Click New Job > From Default Template.
  3. Edit the job script to set your partition, time limit, and commands.
  4. Click Submit.

Using the Terminal

  1. Go to Clusters > Shell Access.
  2. Write your job script or use an existing one.
  3. Submit with: 
    sbatch myjob.sh
  4. Check status with: 
    squeue -u yourusername

Getting Help

If you run into issues or have questions, submit a support request:

Submit a Quick Ticket

Include the following in your request:

  • What you were trying to do
  • The error message or unexpected behavior you saw
  • The session ID or job ID if applicable (found on the My Interactive Sessions page or in the Job History)
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