Mountain V2 Upgrade Via Ascender
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Mountain V2 Upgrade Via Ascender

We’re happy to announce Mountain V2, with a new backend that is going to allow for new and awesome features! It also brings along additional security features like two-factor authentication (2FA). In order to achieve these awesome new features we need to: setup 2FA in Mountain V2, create new authentication keys for our products, and...

CIQ Simplifies HPC Deployment With Rocky Linux, Mountain, and Ascender
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CIQ Simplifies HPC Deployment With Rocky Linux, Mountain, and Ascender

CIQ is officially launching the “general availability” of our custom deployment consultation services to help organizations set up their own HPC environments. We have streamlined the deployment process, tapping the capabilities of Rocky Linux and Mountain, to deliver a highly performant, scalable, and secure HPC stack that is easy to maintain and upgrade.  CIQ’s unique...

Passing Ansible Variables in Workflows Using set_stats

Passing Ansible Variables in Workflows Using set_stats

Workflows allow AAP, AWX, and Ascender to visually connect playbooks together. This works great… until you try and pass variables from one job template (playbook and required parts in Ascender) to another. That’s where the set_stats module comes in. It has the ability to pass between workflow jobs, but the documentation doesn’t fully explain how...

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 3

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 3

This is the final blog post in a 3-part series that compares and contrasts the security features of Apptainer and Rootless Podman. Part 3 focuses on signed containers, encrypted containers, and miscellaneous topics. At this point in our container security miniseries, we’ve provided some background on Apptainer and Podman, and we’ve done a pretty deep...

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 2

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 2

This is the second blog post in a 3-part series that compares and contrasts the security features of Apptainer and Rootless Podman. Part 2 focuses on implicit and explicit use of the User Namespace to set up containers and provide root access. In part 1 of this blog post miniseries, we talked about the history...

Texas Tech’s HPC Center Maximizes Research Productivity with CIQ
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Texas Tech’s HPC Center Maximizes Research Productivity with CIQ

In the world of High Performance Computing (HPC), every second counts. For institutions like Texas Tech University’s High Performance Computing Center (HPCC), maximizing research productivity is paramount, which is why the recent transformation of their HPC infrastructure, powered by CIQ, is such a significant milestone.  The challenge: increase uptime, minimize staff time HPCC is always...

Ascender Migrates Host From CentOS 7 To Rocky 8
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Ascender Migrates Host From CentOS 7 To Rocky 8

With the impending sunset of CentOS, there are a lot of old CentOS 7 hosts that need to be migrated. Thankfully, our friends over at Alma Linux have created the awesome migration tool ELevate that will convert a CentOS box to a myriad of different OSes. In this article, I’ll show you how to utilize...

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 1

Security Features of Apptainer vs. Rootless Podman: Part 1

This is the first blog post in a 3-part series that compares and contrasts the security features of Apptainer and Rootless Podman. Container security is a huge topic encompassing many different facets. Broadly speaking, Apptainer and Podman both provide a “secure“ platform to run containers. But there are subtle differences in the methods they employ...

Why I Love Oracle CloudWorld, and You Should Too!
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Why I Love Oracle CloudWorld, and You Should Too!

In the city where luck is everything, the world’s second largest software company took center stage with its CloudWorld 2023 conference—a four-day Las Vegas happening, a new home for the most comprehensive gathering of the Oracle community and ecosystem. Normally, I dread going to Vegas but there was an undeniable energy in the atmosphere. People...

CIQ Launches Rocky Linux System Administration Training

CIQ Launches Rocky Linux System Administration Training

As CentOS 8 reaches its end-of-life-status, Rocky Linux is filling the void, emerging as a top choice among enterprise Linux distributions. The accelerating interest in Rocky Linux is driving demand for formal training as more enterprise and government users deploy the operating system. In direct response, CIQ is unveiling an in-depth paid training program tailored...