KB009: Using NSF ACCESS and Jetstream2

Scope: National research computing allocations (HPC, cloud VMs, GPUs) Audience: UCR faculty, postdocs and graduate students Last Updated: September 28, 2026

1. What is ACCESS?

ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support) is the National Science Foundation program that gives U.S. researchers free time on national computing systems. It replaced XSEDE in 2022. If you had an XSEDE account, it is now your ACCESS account.

ACCESS covers much more than giant supercomputer jobs. Through one account you can get:

• Cloud virtual machines you fully control (root/sudo), on Jetstream2. Good for always-on servers, web apps, databases, Jupyter, and interactive work.
• Batch HPC on systems such as Anvil, Expanse, Stampede3 and Delta.
• GPUs (NVIDIA A100 and others) for AI and simulation.
• Large-memory nodes and storage.

When to use ACCESS

2. Project Types

You request a project. Most projects are awarded ACCESS Credits, which you then exchange for time on the specific resources you want.

Start with Explore if you are new or unsure. It is meant for trying out resources, benchmarking, code development, small classes and graduate student work. You can upgrade later.

Credits come in two halves: the first half is available when your project is approved, and you request the second half later with a short progress report (a “Supplement”).

3. Getting Started, Step by Step

You can do everything below yourself. Expect one to two weeks from zero to a running machine, most of it waiting on approvals.

Step 1: Create your ACCESS account (about 10 minutes)

1. Go to the ACCESS registration page.
2. Choose one of two options:
   • Register with an existing identity: pick University of California, Riverside if it is listed and sign in with your UCR account.
   • Register without an existing identity: if UCR is not listed or the sign-in fails, create an ACCESS password and set up Duo (use Duo Push in the Duo Mobile app; the phone-call option is unreliable).
3. Use your ucr.edu email address. Gmail, Yahoo and other personal addresses are not accepted.
4. Do not close the browser partway through. Enter the verification code that registry@cilogon.org emails you (check spam). If registration stalls, contact ACCESS support rather than creating a second account.
5. Write down your ACCESS ID (username). Collaborators need it to add you to projects.

Tip: fill in your profile and link your ORCID iD. Awarded projects then show up on your ORCID record.

Step 2: Request an Explore project (decision usually by the next business day)

1. Log in at allocations.access-ci.org and choose Explore ACCESS.
2. Have these ready:
   • Title and overview (abstract): your goals, how you plan to use ACCESS resources (for example, “run GPU VMs to train and serve models”), and the main software you need.
   • CV or resume for the project lead (and any co-leads), PDF, 3 pages max.
   • Grant information, if the work is funded (optional, but helpful).
   • Graduate student leading the project? Upload a signed letter from your advisor (or your NSF GRFP letter).
   • Class use? Upload the syllabus.
   • Check the box to request ACCESS Credits.
3. Submit. You will get a confirmation email, then a decision, usually by the next business day.

Step 3: Exchange credits for resource time (allow up to a week)

This step is easy to miss. A new project shows “No active resources” until you exchange credits.

1. At allocations.access-ci.org, go to Manage Allocations, then Manage My Projects, then New Action, then Exchange.
2. Pick one or more resources and enter the amount. Your remaining credit balance updates as you type.
3. Each resource has its own exchange rate. The Exchange Calculator on the ACCESS site helps you estimate.
4. The resource provider reviews the exchange to confirm it fits your work. Allow up to a week. You will get an email when it is approved.

For Jetstream2, see Section 4 for which resource to pick and how much to request.

Step 4: Add your students and collaborators

1. Each person creates their own ACCESS account (Step 1) with an institutional email address.
2. Go to Manage Allocations, then Manage Users, choose your project, then Add users to resources, and search for their ACCESS ID.
3. This only works after your exchange is approved. New accounts can take a few days to activate on each resource.
4. Your username on each resource may differ from your ACCESS ID. Check My Projects on the Allocations site.

Step 5: Log in and start working

Your project page lists your username on each resource and links to its documentation. For Jetstream2, see Section 4.

4. Jetstream2: Your Own VMs in a Research Cloud

Jetstream2 is an NSF-funded research cloud run by Indiana University. You create and control your own virtual machines, with full admin rights, from a web browser. It is a good fit for work that HPCC’s batch system does not handle: always-on services, web apps, databases, science gateways, interactive desktops, and VMs with public IP addresses.

Pick the right Jetstream2 resource

Jetstream2 has three separate resources. When you exchange credits, pick each one you need; having one does not include the others.

1 ACCESS Credit = 1 Jetstream2 SU.

Common VM sizes (“flavors”)

Full-GPU and larger flavors are also available; some require a request to the Jetstream2 help desk. See the full Instance Flavors list. Each allocation includes 1 TB of storage by default.

How many SUs do I need?

• Always on: SUs per hour x 24 x 365. Example: one m3.medium running all year = 8 x 24 x 365 = 70,080 SUs.
• Part time: SUs per hour x hours you will use it. Example: an m3.medium used 10 hours a week for a year = 8 x 520 = 4,160 SUs (shelve it the rest of the time).
• An Explore project (up to 400,000 credits) covers several small or medium VMs for a year, or a GPU VM for part of the year. A g3.large running nonstop for a year is about 280,000 SUs.
• Running low is fixable: request the second half of your credits (Supplement) or move up to Discover.

Launch your first VM

1. Go to jetstream2.exosphere.app and click Add ACCESS account.
2. At the CILogon page, choose ACCESS CI (XSEDE) as the identity provider and sign in.
3. Select the allocations you want to use (select all of them; unselected ones are not added).
4. Click Create, then Instance. Choose an image (Ubuntu 22.04 is the most common), give it a name, and pick a flavor.
5. Turn on Web Desktop if you want a graphical desktop. Add an SSH public key if you want to connect from your own machine.
6. Click Create. After a few minutes the status changes from Building to Ready.
7. Open it with the Web Shell or Web Desktop buttons in your browser, or SSH in.

If an instance shows Error, delete it and create a new one. Step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots: Creating your First Instance.

Save credits: shelve what you are not using

A running VM uses SUs even when nobody is logged in.

Shelve VMs you are not using. Usage appears on the ACCESS site 12 to 24 hours after the fact, so do not rely on it for same-day tracking.

5. Keeping Your Project Going

• More credits: submit a Supplement request (for the second half of your credits) with a short progress report. Decisions usually come within two weeks.
• Upgrade: when you outgrow Explore, request a Discover or Accelerate project.
• Move credits: use Exchange to add a resource, or Transfer to move units between resources.
• Extensions: unfunded projects can be extended in 12-month increments, up to five years. Funded projects can be extended if the grant is extended.
• Acknowledge ACCESS in papers and report publications on the ACCESS site. This helps future requests.

6. Where to Get Help

• Jetstream2 documentation: docs.jetstream-cloud.org
• Jetstream2 help desk: help@jetstream-cloud.org. They can also advise on which VM size and how many SUs fit your work.
• ACCESS support, tickets and knowledge base: support.access-ci.org
• ACCESS allocations guide: Get Your First Project

Campus Champions: The UCR Research Computing team acts as UCR’s ACCESS Campus Champions.

Published by UCR Research Computing | UC Riverside Information Technology Solutions