ZIH-Info No. 186, February 2025

Password manager is rolled out

As part of a key, passwords are used to access systems. In order to manage the numerous different access data to the respective systems and to be able to share them securely with other people, it is helpful to use a password manager. This can be used to manage both personal access data and shared login information, such as function logins. Last year, Passwork (https://passwork.pro/) was piloted as a password manager service for TU Dresden at the SCD. After a successful pilot phase, the system was handed over to the ZIH service operation in February. The pilot users are currently migrating their password vaults from the pilot system to the productive system. Passwork will then be gradually rolled out in the departments. With the support of the decentralized IT administrators, all TUD employees should be introduced to the use of the password manager by July 2025. (Contact: )

OS and software distribution for Windows

As part of the Excellence Strategy, the CDIO department has developed a concept for the standardized provision of operating systems and software on Windows computers. The management software baramundi was identified and procured as a suitable solution for TU Dresden. After a successful test phase in 2023 and 2024, the productive environment was put into operation by the SCD. In February 2025, the service was handed over to the ZIH operations team. Currently, 60 organizational units use the system to manage more than 3,000 computers. To support the administrators who use it and to further develop the IT service to meet the needs of the TUD, there is an exchange via various channels such as a chat room and consultation hours. Instructions are also provided in the FAQ portal. (Contact: )

ZIH is a member of the Internet Exchange Point DD-IX

Having supported Dresden's first public Internet Exchange Point (IXP), which has existed since October 2023, from the very beginning, the ZIH has now also been an official supporting member of the DD-IX since January 2025 with its TUD membership. The aim of the DD-IX Internet Exchange Point is to bring local network operators together. This not only contributes to a more ecological and economical distribution and enables fast, low-delay and low-failure data transfer via the Internet, but also increases security in accordance with European data protection regulations. Data that would otherwise often be forwarded via globally dispersed network nodes remains local. As a result, data packets travel significantly shorter distances during transfer, which shortens the transmission time. For users, this means faster loading times for websites and smoother performance for streaming and video calls among other things. More natural communication is achieved in online meetings and an efficient response for cloud services. Important local providers for the region, such as DSI NET, IBH and SachsenGigaBit, are already exchanging internet traffic at DD-IX. Further information on DD-IX: https://dd-ix.net/en/. (Contact: Alexander Kiontke)

ZIH colloquium in March 2025

On Thursday, March 27, at 15:00, the ZIH colloquium will take place with Dr.-Ing. Michael Klemm from the Compilers, Runtimes, Libraries and Tools Team at AMD on the topic "OpenMP® Target Offloading for AMD GPUs and APUs". Michael Klemm will present details on the possibilities of target offloading with the OpenMP API and its application for programming AMD MI300A accelerators. This event will be held as an online video conference. Further information and link to registration: https://tu-dresden.de/zih/kolloquium. (Contact: Dr. Hartmut Mix)

Digitization topics for Girls' Day at CIDS

Girls' Day will take place again on April 3, 2025 – and TU Dresden will participate with various offers. This year, ZIH, ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig and the Interactive Science Lab (ISL) of CIDS are offering a joint program that provides exciting insights into artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, data and digitization. Participants can train their own AI model, get to know TU Dresden's data center and supercomputers and experience modern technologies first-hand with the CIDS exhibition modules. We also provide information about training and study opportunities in the field of computer science and digitalization at CIDS. The offer is aimed at girls aged 13 and over who are enthusiastic about technology and science. Further information: https://www.girls-day.de/.oO/Show/center-for-interdisciplinary-digital-sciences-cids/dresden/gestalte-die-zukunft-digitalisierung-an-der-tu-dresden. (Contakt: Gina Valentin)

Networking for a sustainable HPC future

Higher power densities, increasing demands on energy efficiency and sustainable cooling and waste heat utilization pose major challenges for data centers. The exchange of best practices and innovative solutions is therefore essential. In order to address these issues in a targeted manner, the ZIH is initiating a first networking meeting on data center infrastructure in Dresden at the beginning of May 2025. The member organizations of the Gauss Alliance will focus on current infrastructure aspects of HPC operation: from intelligent cooling strategies and alternative free cooling methods to innovative construction concepts and the optimization of energy supply. Ecological topics such as CO₂reduction, water management and energy efficiency also play a central role. In addition to technical discussions and a valuable exchange of experiences, the meeting will provide exclusive insights into our own infrastructure. Guided tours of the Lehmann Center and the heat pump building of the Dresden district heating network will show how sustainable HPC concepts are implemented in practice. This underlines the ZIH's commitment to actively developing the operation of HPC data centers and jointly advancing sustainable solutions. (Contact: Dr. Daniel Hackenberg)

FDM@Campus 2025: Conference

Research data management has been a central focus at the ZIH for years – both in the development and provision of infrastructures and services as well as in the conception of new strategies, methods and tools. Against this background, the Research Data Contact Point is involved in the organization of the FDM@Campus 2025 conference. The conference, which is organized by the Göttingen eResearch Alliance, brings together expertise to discuss practical solutions and experiences relating to research data management at universities. From September 29 to October 1, 2025, participants can not only gain valuable insights, but also actively contribute their own topics. Proposals for sessions in various formats are welcome until March 28, 2025. Satellite events after the conference are also possible. Further information: https://www.eresearch.uni-goettingen.de/de/fdmcampus-event-information/(Dr. Ralph Müller-Pfefferkorn)

Conference events

06.03.2025, 11:00–12:00: Living Lab Lecture: Compressing Large Language Models (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig)
10.03.2025, 10:00–11:00 a.m.: Digital Spring Cleaning - Digital Cleanup Day (Kontaktstelle Forschungsdaten, SLUB)
13.03.2025, 15:30–16:30: Junior Doctor: Point clouds in the data sky - How machines learn independently (Living Lab, ScaDS.AI)
17.03.–21.03.2025: Programming Workshop with MPI, OpenMP & Tools, Willers-Bau A119
26.03.2025, 14:50–16:20: Research data management in working groups - solutions for collaborative and sustainable work with research data (Kontaktstelle Forschungsdaten)
27.03.2025, 15:00–16:30: ZIH Colloquium: OpenMP® Target Offloading for AMD GPUs and APUs
03.04.2025, 9:20–10:50 a.m.: Opal basic course
03.04.2025, 09:00–15:30: Girls' Day
Softphone consultation hours: 10.03., 17.03., 24.03. and 31.03. 2025, 10:00–11:00 a.m. each
Baramundi consultation hour: 04.03., 11.03., 18.03., 26.03. and 01.04.2025, 13:00– 13:30 each (link to the event available via Service Desk)
Open Q&A session for users of the NHR@TUD computing cluster: 03.03., 10.03., 17.03., 24.03. and 31.03.2025, 13:30–14:30 each

http://www.tu-dresden.de/zih/veranstaltungen