The Distributed Environment for Academic Computing (DEAC) is Wake Forest University’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) Cluster. The facility was established in July 2002 to provide a centralized research computing environment for the entire University. The HPC Team provides a stable, robust, and accessible resource that allows the education and research communities to focus on their primary mission. Some benefits of the cluster are:

• Flexibility: The cluster and its staff support new technologies as they arise, such as thin client support for research computing or general-purpose GPU computing.
• Reliability: The computational platform is maintained by professional staff, dedicated to the facility.
• Scalability: The cluster can meet the needs of small research groups with big research problems or large research groups with many small research problems.
• Support: As high performance computing continues to grow into disciplines not traditionally accustomed to large computational environments, the dedicated staff provides training to new user groups.

The HPC Team supports the computational research community through:

• Code Compilation: We assist cluster users with compiling software to meet their research needs.
• Computational and Storage Resources: We design, install, maintain, and upgrade the WFU DEAC Cluster facility.
• Education and Training: From guest lecturing in computational courses to cluster tutorials to advanced programming design assistance, we are available to assist research groups in efficiently using the cluster.

Users of the DEAC Cluster should refer to the DEAC User Wiki for new user information, cluster specific information, quick start guides, detailed information about specific software available, recent changes and more.

Request an Account

There are multiple scenarios in which an account request to use the DEAC Cluster will be approved. Each revolves around research and learning at Wake Forest University, including, but not limited to:

• Faculty members pursuing active research or developing innovative course curriculum requiring the use of resources provided by the DEAC Cluster.
• Students whose advisor conducts research within the WFU DEAC Cluster, and the student’s advisor endorses the request for an account.
• Students who are enrolled in a course that has requested use of the WFU DEAC Cluster as part of an integral role in the course curriculum, ideally instructors will provided class rosters. The course related accounts shall only be valid for duration of the course.
• External collaborators who are not directly affiliated with Wake Forest University provided that the person is directly collaborating with and endorsed by a faculty member that has an existing account on the WFU DEAC Cluster. These accounts will also require the creation of a WFU guest account for VPN access, both shall be valid only for the length of the collaboration request and renewal will be needed if the collaboration extends beyond the original timeline.
• Staff members whose department head or supervisor endorses the request for access, and will be conducting research on behalf or in support of a faculty member (or Information Technology Group), or for the development and/or instruction of a course requiring the use of the WFU DEAC computing environment.

Software

Several licensed software packages have been acquired and/or maintained by the DEAC Cluster facility for the benefit of research computing. The facility also makes available some research computing focused software that is licensed for the entire Wake Forest University community.  

Wake Forest University faculty, staff, or students with an active cluster account may request software installation on the DEAC Cluster.

Please note: if you are not a faculty member, your software request will need to be approved by a faculty sponsor. You may speed up the software installation process by having your faculty sponsor send an email to the support team (deac-help@wfu.edu) indicating your request is supported.

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