Eleanor

Create virtual servers (instances) configured to your exact requirements.

Product FeaturesApplicable DisciplinesCase Studies Terms & Conditions

Eleanor is the University's Cloud Service for Research similar to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.

Eleanor allows you to create virtual machines configured to your exact requirements. As the administrator of your virtual machines you have full control of the installed software and configuration.

Eleanor

This allows you to build anything that you could with a physical computer.

Eleanor offers a range of pre-configured operating systems (including CentOS, Linux, Ubuntu and Windows) and you can also build your own.

Some examples of use:

  • A simple, globally accessible web server
  • Scalable data analysis or simulation frameworks
  • A replacement for a shared access server
  • Custom research environments, especially where the software requirements do not fit with other computational resources the University provides
  • Test software on a range of different operating systems and versions

All staff, postgraduate research students and visitors can get a small amount of free resource on Eleanor for small-scale or proof-of-concept work. Additional resource is available with virtual CPUs, memory (RAM) and disk storage being charged for separately.

Find out more about Eleanor

Free or Paid for:

Standard allocation: Free.

Paid-for options: Charges are based on the combination and usage of virtual CPUs, memory (RAM) and disk storage.

More about Eleanor costs

Product Features

  • OpenStack cloud computing service
  • Horizon dashboard
  • Scheduling tools Hadoop and Spark
  • Free space for small-scale work
  • Paid-for options – choose combination of virtual CPUs, memory and hard disk space
  • Internal access via University network and VPN
  • External access available with paid-for projects
  • Online guidance available
  • Email and phone support
  • Infrastructure as a Service cloud (IaaS)
  • Provided operating systems include CentOS, Scientific Linux, Ubuntu and Windows
  • Customisable - install and configure your own operating systems and software
  • The data are kept in the UK on servers managed by Information Services at the University of Edinburgh. Multiple copies are kept in case of server failure.
  • Eleanor users are responsible for ensuring the management of the data. Data are not backed-up and accidentally deleted data are not retrievable.
  • Users are responsible for the security of their virtual instances: for example, by keeping operating systems patched and up-to-date.

Applicable Disciplines

  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences
  • Business, Management and Accounting
  • Computer Sciences
  • Energy
  • Health Professions
  • Material Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Immunology and Microbiology
  • Mathematics
  • Nursing
  • Psychology
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Economics, Econometrics and Finance
  • Environmental Science
  • Medicine
  • Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
  • Social Sciences
  • Veterinary

Case Studies

Terms & Conditions

General: The Computing Regulations govern the use of all University computing and network facilities by staff, students and anyone else authorised to use them.

Technical Requirements

Skills Required

  • Experience at managing/administering your own servers and operating systems is essential

Support and Training Available