Research Computing Desktops: Demystifying research computing for non-Linux users

Many members of the current generation of students and researchers are accustomed to intuitive computing devices and never had to learn how to use command-line based systems, which comprise the majority of high-performance computing environments in use. In the 2013-14 time frame, both Indiana University and Purdue university separately launched virtual desktop front-ends for their high performance computing clusters with the aim of offering an easier on-ramp to new users. In the last five years we iterated on and refined these approaches, and we now have over two thousand annual active users combined. Over 75% of those users say that the desktop services are either moderately or extremely important for their ability to use HPC resources. In this paper, we share our experience bootstrapping this new service framework, bringing in the end-users, dealing with runaway success, and making this service a sustainable offering. This paper offers a comprehensive picture of the driving motivations for desktops at each institution, reasons users like desktops, and ways of getting started.