CloudBank Classroom hubs are funded through ACCESS, the NSF-supported programme that allocates computing to research and teaching. Each institution using a hub needs its own ACCESS project, and the institution’s own instructor has to request it — it cannot be done on your behalf.
This page is for instructors. Students do not need an ACCESS account to use a hub.
Why it matters¶
Usage on your hub is reported against your institution’s ACCESS project. Without one, your students’ work is not counted, which is what the programme uses to justify continued funding for hubs like yours. A hub keeps working either way — this is reporting, not access control — but an unregistered institution is invisible in the numbers.
Requesting a project¶
The tier you want is Explore ACCESS, the entry level. You can move up later if a course outgrows it.
Create an ACCESS account at allocations
.access -ci .org, using your institutional email address. An existing XSEDE account carries over. Make yourself the project lead. For a classroom allocation this is the instructor teaching the course.
Prepare the request. You need a project title and an overview describing your goals, how you expect to use the resources, and any software you need. You also attach two PDFs: a CV or a résumé for the project lead and any co-leads, and a course syllabus for classroom work. Grant details are optional.
Submit it. From the opportunities page choose Explore ACCESS, complete the form, tick the ACCESS Credits box, and submit. You will get an email confirming receipt.
Send the project number to CloudBank. It looks like
CIS261543. Nothing connects your hub to your allocation until someone at CloudBank records it.
A decision on an Explore request usually arrives by the next business day.
If it does not go through¶
Three failures account for nearly all of the ones we have seen, and none is anything you did wrong.
Your institution’s email domain is not recognised. The registration rejects the address outright. The domain has to be added on the ACCESS side, which needs a support ticket rather than another attempt — tell CloudBank and it can be raised for you.
The verification email never arrives. Check spam first, but if it genuinely does not come, retrying usually does not help either. This one also needs a ticket.
The account exists but no request was ever submitted. This is the most common of the three and the easiest to miss: creating the ACCESS account is a separate step from requesting the allocation. If you are not sure which you did, sign in and look for the project under My Projects. No project means step 4 above has not happened yet.
Getting help covers where to ask.