Accounts

The following information is provided to assist you in the process of obtaining an account on any of our HPC systems. Please review this information before beginning your account application process.

Start with Requesting a pIE Account

Before you can get an account on any of our systems, you must first get an account on the Portal to the Information Environment (commonly called a pIE account). If you do not yet have an active pIE account, please visit HPC Centers: Obtaining an Account and follow the instructions there before proceeding.

As you go through the steps to get an active pIE account, you will also be completing necessary steps to create an ARL DSRC account. Once your pIE account is active, you may request an account at the ARL DSRC (commonly called an HPC account).

Additional Requirement for Classified Accounts

In addition to the normal requirements (above), users requesting a classified account must also send a Visit Request (VR) to ARL. You may save time by asking your security office to send a VR to both ERDC and ARL DSRC security offices at the same time. For questions about sending a VR for classified access, contact the ARL DSRC S/AAA:

Helpful Tips

The following information may be helpful as you proceed through the account creation process.

  1. IMPORTANT: Before access can be granted to any HPCMP or ARL system, you must have a security clearance or a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI). If you do not, have your security office initiate an NACI. You must have a clearance or NACI before a visit request can be sent. National Agency Checks (NACs) are no longer accepted.
  2. As you go through the process of obtaining your pIE account, you will receive a series of e-mails signifying where you are in the account creation process. The following are explanations of each notification e-mail:

    • Submitted state - Once you complete the pIE application form your account is placed in a "submitted state".
    • Approved state - Your pIE account will be "approved" once your S/AAA receives the required training certificate from you for DoD Information Assurance Awareness training.
    • Inactive state - Your account will then be sent to the AFRL DSRC for processing of your Kerberos Principal. If you require a YubiKey, AFRL will also mail you a YubiKey in an "inactive" state and wait for you to confirm receipt.
    • Active state - Your AFRL account will be "activated" once AFRL receives a Visit Request from your security office. Your ARL DSRC account will be activated once your security office sends a visit request to the ARL security office.
  3. You may find the following definitions for frequently used terms helpful.
    • Portal to the Information Environment (pIE) - a DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program Office-wide software tool for tracking users.
    • Service/Agency Approval Authority (S/AAA) - authorizes your access to DoD resources. If you do not know who your S/AAA is, email require@hpc.mil for assistance.
    • Principal Investigator (PI) - The project leader who determines who gets computer accounts for specific projects. (Your S/AAA can help determine who your PI will be).
    • Site Account Manager (SAM) - The person at the HPC Help Desk responsible for assigning Kerberos principals into the HPCMP Corporate Realm (HPCMP.HPC.MIL). Instructions for contacting the HPC Help Desk can be found on HPC Centers: Technical and Customer Support.
    • Kerberos principal - Your Kerberos principal identifies you to the Kerberos software that provides security for logging into the HPC machines. It is assigned by the SAM at the HPC Help Desk.
    • ORG ID - The organization ID that will be assigned by your S/AAA. You will need this information at the time you complete your pIE application. Contact your S/AAA and request an ORG ID if one has not already been assigned.
  4. Once your pIE account is active, your S/AAA can enter you into the projects and systems you requested. In pIE, your S/AAA will assign you a project on specific HPC machines. You will not need to do anything here other than to ensure that the S/AAA performs this assignment.