Nightshift

Pilot request

Tell us about your lab.

A few details is all we need to start the conversation. This form does not send anything to a third party. When you press the button it opens an email from you to Thabhelo, and shows the same text here so you can copy it if your mail app does not open.

Your details go only to Thabhelo Duve at Talladega College, by email, from your own mail app.

Here is your message

If your mail app did not open, copy this and send it to thabhelo.duve@talladega.edu. 

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Questions
 
 
 Why not just use Google Colab or the cloud? 

Colab's free tier disconnects after a few hours and hands you whatever is left over. Real
          cloud needs a credit card, and a student ends up with a surprise bill. Supercomputer time
          needs a faculty sponsor and an application. Nightshift is a Run button on machines the
          school already owns. Nothing to sign up for.

 
 
 Lab computers do not have big graphics cards. Can they really train AI? 

Honest answer: a lab of ordinary machines is great for data science, simulations, and
          running models, and it handles most coursework. Heavy training wants specialized
          hardware. That is why the Run button matters more than the lab. Sponsors can fund extra
          compute through the same button, and a campus can add a single high-end machine to the
          pool. The lab is the starting point, not the ceiling.

 
 
 HTCondor is free. Why would a college pay for this? 

HTCondor needs a systems administrator to set up and look after. Small colleges usually
          do not have one. Nightshift is the packaged, supported, student-facing version. People
          pay for Slack when IRC was free for the same reason.

 
 
 Is it safe to run student code on school computers? 

Jobs run in a sandbox as a locked-down user with no access to the lab machine's files.
          They run only when the machine is idle, and the moment someone logs in, the job is paused
          and moved. Wisconsin has done this for decades.

 
 
 What about the electricity bill? 

The machines are already on. Running them at night adds a modest amount, and Nightshift
          can be limited to off-peak hours. It is still a small fraction of buying dedicated
          hardware.

 
 
 Who at the college signs? 

Usually the IT department or academic affairs. The license is priced under one
          workstation so it fits an existing equipment budget.