ZIH-Info No. 186, February 2025

Start for "SpiNNcloud"

The TUD has made significant progress in the development of neuromorphic computer systems: The "SpiNNcloud" supercomputer is now in operation. Developed by Prof. Christian Mayr, the system is based on the innovative SpiNNaker2 chip. It comprises 35,000 chips and over 5 million processor cores and offers an energy-efficient yet powerful platform for artificial intelligence (AI). Based on the structure of the human brain, it opens up completely new perspectives for modern computer architectures. The combination of distributed memory and event-driven processing significantly reduces energy consumption and increases flexibility at the same time. Real-time processing with latencies of less than a millisecond opens up new application possibilities in areas such as smart cities and autonomous driving. SpiNNcloud is part of the AI Competence Center ScaDS.AI. Especially in combination with the classic HPC systems on site, there is significant added value for research. With more than five times the number of simulated neurons compared to the first SpiNNaker generation, SpiNNcloud marks a breakthrough in neuromorphic computing. The project is supported by the EU Regional Development Fund (EFRE) and the Free State of Saxony. Further information and contact: https: //tu-dresden.de/zih/news/tud-launches-spinncloud-supercomputer.

Revision of SPAM detection

The ZIH has examined various options for optimizing SPAM detection. The focus was on services from various private and public providers. What all solutions have in common is that they need to access checksums of the email content and information on the sender, recipient and subject in order to reliably detect SPAM. TU Dresden has been using the "DFN MailSupport" service of the German Research Network (DFN) since April 9, 2025. This service has been used in compliance with data protection regulations for around 150 institutions for more than 10 years. In the new procedure, DFN acts as the first point of contact for all emails sent to addresses ending in tu-dresden.de and mailbox.tu-dresden.de. After checking, the e-mails are forwarded to the TU Dresden mail servers. (Contact: ).

Certificates now available again

The issuance of user and server certificates is now possible again. After the collaboration between Sectigo and DFN/TCS Géant ended on January 10, 2025, HARICA was contracted as the new provider. In several phases, TUD-CERT, in cooperation with the Service Desk and ZIH, provided the necessary certificates. An internal service is available for obtaining server certificates via ACME. While user certificates initially had to be issued manually, certificate management via the self-service portal has been fully restored since March 24, 2025. Users can once again request certificates for their personal email addresses and assigned functional addresses as usual. (Contact: ).

2FA now also active for webmail access

On April 9, 2025, two-factor authentication (2FA) was extended to the webmail service (OWA) This means that the second login step (token) is now also required to access the online interface of TU Dresden's email service. From now on, login will take place via the central Shibboleth portal. The changeover serves to protect against cyberattacks and follows the 2FA rollout at TU Dresden from 2023, which has already been successfully introduced for examinations and central services. Nothing will change for Outlook, Thunderbird and other email programs. For parallel access to multiple mailboxes, it may be helpful to use private windows or different browsers. Further information on logging in can be found in the FAQ portal. If you have any questions, please contact the Service Desk. (Contact: )

New standard access to the campus network: eduVPN

To access TU Dresden’s campus network from an external connection, a VPN is required. From 30 May 2025, only eduVPN will be provided as the new standard program for this purpose. The previously used services Cisco AnyConnect and OpenVPN will be deactivated for general access on that date. With eduVPN, authentication takes place via the central identity provider Shibboleth, which automatically adds an extra layer of security through two-factor authentication. If you are already logged in via Shibboleth, you will not need to enter your credentials again. The changeover initially applies to general VPN access (recognizable by the login data zih-login@tu-dresden.de). Access to institute or administrative networks will be migrated gradually over the course of the year. Instructions for setting up and using eduVPN can be found in the FAQ: https://faq.tickets.tu-dresden.de/v/ItemID=1243. (Contact: )

Ticket system customer portal available to all

In addition to the processing portal for handling support tickets and the FAQ portal for instructions, TU Dresden’s Znuny ticket system also includes a customer portal. This portal provides all users with an overview of their current requests. The processing status can be viewed, correspondence can be tracked, and existing notes can be read. Users can also reply directly within the portal. In the "FAQ" section, in addition to the instructions published in the FAQ portal, all those that are released exclusively for the TUD public are also available. Link to the customer portal: https://tickets.tu-dresden.de/otrs/customer.pl. (Contact: )

International Summer School on AI and Big Data

From June 23 to 27, 2025, the AI Competence Center ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig invites you to its 11th International Summer School on AI and Big Data. This year, the focus will be on the generation and application of language models, with a particular focus on their use in the fields of education and ethics. In addition to inspiring keynotes from internationally renowned scientists, participants can look forward to a 2-day hackathon and a varied supporting program that includes guided tours, culinary offerings and numerous opportunities for networking. The event is aimed at students, doctoral students and experts from science and industry. Registration is open until June 09, 2025. Further information and registration details: https://scads.ai/event/summer-school-2025/. (Contact: Dr. René Jäkel)

ZIH at the NHR Conference 2025 in Göttingen

From September 22 to 25, the NHR Conference 2025 will take place at the Georg-August-University Göttingen. As one of the nine national NHR centers, the ZIH will be on site with a team and actively participate in the program and discussions. We are looking forward to meeting users of NHR@TUD and other NHR centers in Germany to exchange ideas and strengthen the efficient use of high-performance computing in the disciplines. The aim of the conference is to promote the exchange and networking of HPC users. This year's NHR conference will focus on artificial intelligence in the social sciences, life sciences, data management and storage. International keynotes, talks and posters will provide a platform for interdisciplinary discussions. The deadline for abstract submission is May 11, 2025. We invite all interested parties to participate in this important exchange and look forward to an inspiring conference! Further information: https://www.nhr-verein.de/Conference. (Contact: Dr. Matthias Lieber)

Events

05./06.05.2025: 1^st networking meeting for HPC data center infrastructures (Andreas-Pfitzmann-Bau, APB 1004)
08.05.2025, 9:20-10:50 am: OPAL advanced course (online)
15.05.2025, 9:20-10:50 a.m.: ONYX advanced course (online)
03.06.2025, 9:20-10:50 a.m.: Overcoming borders in the age of artificial intelligence - India as a scientific cooperation partner from a cultural perspective (online)
Softphone consultation hour: 05.05., 12.05., 19.05., 26.05. and 02.06.2025 10:00–11:00 a.m. (online)
Open Q&A session for users of the NHR@TUD computing cluster: 05.05., 12.05., 19.05., 26.05. and 02.06.2025 13:30–14:30 (online)

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