Overview

The VIBE desktop is an interactive application that runs directly in your web browser using the OpenOnDemand interface, which connects you to the UBELIX HPC cluster via SLURM-scheduled jobs. In simple terms, VIBE allows you to access a high-performance computing environment for bio-image analysis and other tasks, without needing to install software locally.

This guide will walk you through the initial setup and usage of the VIBE desktop.

Warning

The following description is based on the current version of the form. Please note that the content may change as the form evolves.

What You Need

To use the VIBE desktop you will need:

Access to the campus network: You need to be connected to the university network either through EduRoam or using the FortiClient VPN to connect remotely. Find instructions for setting up the VPN client in the IT Services Internet and Network Access documentation.
An active UBELIX account: You must have an active UBELIX account to access the VIBE desktop. Follow the steps outlined in the UBELIX documentation on how to access UBELIX.
A VIBE project account: To access the full computational resources of the VIBE desktop, you need a VIBE project account. Get in touch for additional details and costs of the service. You can still access VIBE with a free account, but your resources will be limited and subject to queue times if resources are not available.

Getting Access

Go to https://ondemand.hpc.unibe.ch. In the navigation bar, click on “My Interactive Sessions”. You will see a list of available interactive applications such as VS Code server, Jupyter Notebook, and VIBE Desktop. Select the VIBE Desktop.
VIBE system configuration form: Once you select the VIBE desktop application, you will arrive the system configuration form. This is where you will define the parameters for your session. For more details on the configuration options, see the VIBE system configuration form documentation.

The VIBE desktop is accessible in multiples ways. Adjust the form accordingly.

VIBE subscriptionTest version (Available only temporary)Paygo (You own a ‘wc’ project key)

Account	wckey	QoS	GPU Type	Instance Size	Time limit in hours
invest	-	job_gpu_vibe	RTX 6000 MIG 24gb	Medium	1

Account	wckey	QoS	GPU Type	Instance Size	Time limit in hours
gratis	-	job_gpu_preemptable	RTX 4090	Medium	1

Account	wckey	QoS	GPU Type	Instance Size	Time limit in hours
paygo	`<your_project_wc_key>`	job_gpu	RTX 4090	Medium	1

Test version only available for short period

The test version of the desktop comes with limited resources and limited support. It is meant to be used just for testing purpose and will be only available for a short period of time.

Set the system configuration of your VIBE instance by filling the form with the parameters indicated bellow:

vibe_configuration_form

Launch the desktop: Once you’ve configured your session, click on the blue “Launch” button. It may take a few minutes for your session to start. Please be patient while the system prepares your environment.

Interacting with the VIBE Desktop

The VIBE desktop operates like a typical Linux desktop, providing a familiar graphical user interface (GUI) for browsing files, launching applications, and even navigating the internet. An integrated terminal emulator allows more advanced users to run custom commands or scripts directly from the command line. However, its real power lies in the pre-installed bio-image analysis tools that are ready to use. Furthermore, the vibe desktop can additionally be extended and customized for your specific application or set of applications.

Basic interactive features of the VIBE desktop. 1) Application menu. 2) Terminal Emulator 3) File explorer tool and 4) Browser explorer.

Since VIBE is connected directly to the UBELIX cluster, you have seamless access to research storage. You can easily browse your research files and open datasets directly within the desktop environment.

You can for instance, open a sample image from the research storage and visualize it using Napari, a popular tool for bio-image analysis.

Closing Your Session

There are several ways to close your VIBE session:

Using the VIBE graphical user interface:

In the menu bar, click on Applications → Log Out. A confirmation window will appear asking if you want to log out. Click Log Out. Leave the “Save session for future logins” option selected if you want to restore the same applications when you log in next time.

Via the Jobs Manager tool in OpenOnDemand:

In the OpenOnDemand dashboard, click on Jobs in the main window and then go to Active Jobs. Find the job running the VIBE desktop by its name <vibe-desktop-dev> or job ID. To terminate the session, click the red trash can icon under the “Actions” column.

We do not recommend to close your session using the Delete button via “My interactive Sessions” tab, because it will also erase your session logs.

Warning

Important: Simply closing your browser window without properly terminating your session as indicated above may result in unintended billing charges. Always follow the termination steps outlined above.

Note

Persistent Session: Your session is persistent after closing. This means any files, models, images, or other data saved at your work space during your session will be preserved for the next time you log in.