Tier 1 HPC Storage#
Tier 1 HPC is a multi-petabyte, all-flash storage system attached to the Tufts HPC cluster. It is available on all compute and login nodes, meaning data stored here is accessible from any node without copying.
Important
Charges of $85/TB/year apply to storage usage exceeding the 10 TB base allocation, effective July 1, 2026. See RT Announcements for full details.
Storage Locations#
Location |
Path |
Default Quota |
|---|---|---|
Home directory |
|
30 GB (fixed) |
Lab/project storage |
|
50 GB and up |
Storage Details#
Detail |
Value |
|---|---|
Technology |
Vast, SSD, Parallel Filesystem |
Starting quota |
100 GB minimum |
Base allocation |
10 TB at no cost (if eligible faculty member) |
Cost beyond base |
$85/TB/year (effective July 1, 2026) |
Prerequisites#
Active Tufts HPC cluster account — see HPC Account Request
Off-campus access requires Tufts VPN
Requesting Storage#
New storage share: Submit a Cluster Storage Request
Increase existing quota: Submit the same form; increases over 1 TB may require a consultation
No more than 5 TB increase per 12-month interval per current policy
Access Methods#
OnDemand (Web Browser)#
The simplest way to access and manage files without any software installation.
Go to Tufts HPC OnDemand
Log in with your Tufts credentials
Click Files in the top menu to browse your home directory
Use Change directory to navigate to your lab folder — type the full path (e.g.,
/cluster/tufts/your_lab_name/)Use Upload / Download buttons to transfer files
Note
OnDemand file transfers are limited to files under 976 MB. Use SCP, rsync, or Globus for larger files.
SSH / Command Line#
Connect to the cluster login node and access storage directly:
ssh your_utln@login-prod.pax.tufts.edu
Your home directory is available immediately. Navigate to your lab storage:
cd /cluster/tufts/your_lab_name/
SCP / rsync (File Transfer)#
Run these commands from your local machine. Replace your_utln and paths accordingly.
Upload to cluster:
scp local_file your_utln@login-prod.pax.tufts.edu:/cluster/home/your_utln/
rsync -azP local_dir/ your_utln@login-prod.pax.tufts.edu:/cluster/tufts/your_lab_name/
Download from cluster:
scp your_utln@login-prod.pax.tufts.edu:/cluster/home/your_utln/file ./
rsync -azP your_utln@login-prod.pax.tufts.edu:/cluster/tufts/your_lab_name/ local_dir/
Use rsync for large or long-running transfers — it can resume if interrupted.
Recommended GUI clients: SecureCRT, FileZilla, Cyberduck, WinSCP (Windows)
Globus#
Globus is recommended for large or automated transfers. Tufts provides a site collection for HPC cluster storage.
Collection name: Tufts HPC Cluster Storage
Provides access to
/cluster/home/your_utlnand/cluster/tufts/
See the Globus guide for setup and transfer instructions.
Checking Storage Usage#
Use hpctools on any cluster node via SSH Shell. Go to Tufts HPC Cluster OnDemand click , Clusters then Tufts HPC Shell Access or log in to the cluster through command line with SSH.
module load hpctools
hpctools
Option 5 — check lab/project storage quota
Option 7 — check home directory usage
Or check project quota directly:
df -H /cluster/tufts/your_lab_name