Batch Connect - OSC Stata

Overview

An Open OnDemand Batch Connect app that launches a Stata GUI (xstata-mp) in an XFCE desktop session on the OSC Cardinal cluster. Stata is a statistical software suite for data management, analysis, and graphics.

This app uses the Batch Connect vnc template with Slurm.

• Upstream project: Stata
• Batch Connect template: vnc

Screenshots

Features

• Launches Stata multiprocessor GUI (xstata-mp) in an XFCE VNC desktop session
• Configurable cores, wall time, and node type (any, hugemem) via the launch form
• Slurm license reservation (stata@osc) handled automatically
• Hugemem node support with parallel partition for multi-node jobs
• Wall time limited to 1--8 hours via form constraints
• Configurable VNC resolution

Requirements

Compute Node Software

This Batch Connect app requires the following software be installed on the compute nodes that the batch job is intended to run on (NOT the OnDemand node):

• Stata 15+
• Xfce Desktop 4+

For VNC server support:

• TurboVNC 2.1+
• websockify 0.8.0+

Open OnDemand

• Tested to work with the latest version of Open OnDemand
• Scheduler: Slurm

Optional

• Lmod 6.0.1+ or any other module purge and module load <modules> based CLI used to load appropriate environments within the batch job

App Installation

1. Clone the repository

cd /var/www/ood/apps/sys
git clone https://github.com/OSC/bc_osc_stata.git
cd bc_osc_stata

# Pin to a release (recommended)
git checkout v0.9.1

No restart is needed -- Batch Connect apps are not Passenger apps and are detected automatically.

2. Configure for your site

Edit form.yml and update these values for your cluster:

Attribute	OSC Default	Change to
cluster	cardinal	Your cluster name(s)
stata_version	stata/18	Stata module available on your system
node_type	any, hugemem	Node types available on your cluster
num_cores.max	96	Max cores on your compute nodes
bc_num_hours.max	8	Max wall time for your site

In script.sh.erb, the app loads modules with:

module load stata/18

Ensure an equivalent stata/ module is available on your system.

In submit.yml.erb, the app requests a Slurm license with --licenses stata@osc. Update this to match your license server.

To Update the App

cd /var/www/ood/apps/sys/bc_osc_stata
git fetch
git checkout <tag>

No restart is needed.

Configuration

form.yml attributes

Attribute	Widget	Description	Default
cluster	select	Target cluster ID(s)	cardinal
stata_version	(hidden)	Stata module to load	stata/18
bc_num_hours	number	Maximum wall time (hours)	1--8
bc_num_slots	(hidden)	Number of nodes	1
num_cores	number_field	Number of CPU cores (1--96)	1
node_type	select	Compute node type (any, hugemem)	any
bc_vnc_resolution	text	VNC session resolution	(required)

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
STATA_HOME	Yes	Path to Stata installation root

Troubleshooting

Job starts but app doesn't appear (Batch Connect)

1. Check the job's output.log in ~/ondemand/data/sys/YOUR-APP/
2. Verify the module loads correctly: module load software/1.0
3. Verify the window manager is installed: which xfwm4

Connection timeout

The app may need more time to start. Increase the connection timeout or check that the compute node can open the required port.

Testing

Site	OOD Version	Scheduler	Status
Ohio Supercomputer Center	4.2.2	Slurm	Production

To verify your installation:

1. Launch the app from the OOD dashboard with default settings
2. Confirm the application loads in the browser

Known Limitations

• No GPU support

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. To contribute:

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-improvement)
3. Submit a pull request with a description of your changes

For bugs or feature requests, open an issue.

This app is part of the OOD Appverse. Join the Appverse Affinity Group to connect with other contributors.

References

• Stata - The application launched by this OOD app
• Open OnDemand — the HPC portal framework

License

• Documentation, website content, and logo is licensed under CC-BY-4.0
• Code is licensed under MIT (see LICENSE.txt)o
• The pictures, icons, and logos encoded in gif files and other formats are either copyrights and/or trademarks of StataCorp LLC.

Acknowledgments

This app is built on Open OnDemand, developed and maintained by the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC).

Open OnDemand is supported by the National Science Foundation under awards NSF SI2-SSE-1534949 and NSF CSSI-Frameworks-1835725.