Create a workstation
Configure and launch a workstation in five steps: software, hardware, attachments, automations, and review. A first launch takes 15-25 minutes.
Unlike job setup, there's no Inputs step, files come in through Attachments, which you can revisit after launch. The rest of the flow mirrors jobs.
Before you start: decide whether you need a workstation at all. If your model is set up and you just want results, a job is cheaper. See what a workstation is.
If you or a colleague has already configured this setup, launching from a template skips this entire page.
1. Start a new workstation
From Workstations, select New Workstation, then Create New Workstation.
2. Select software
On Software, find your application in the alphabetical list, or search. You can filter by Operating System or by industry icon.
Three tabs sit above the catalog:
Bring Your Own Software Interactive Workflow is the first tile if you're supplying your own application.
Then set the version and licensing for the application you picked:
Licensed applications only consume a license while the workstation is running, including not while it's suspended.
The software list is fixed once the workstation starts. If you realize later that you need another application, you'll have to launch a new workstation.
The exception is Administrator Privileges, which lets you install software yourself from inside the session. Ask your Rescale representative to enable it.
3. Select hardware
The hardware list filters itself to coretypes compatible with the software, OS, and region you've chosen, so options you'd expect may be absent because of an earlier choice, not because they don't exist.
Two things on this step that aren't obvious:
- Autosuspend is set at creation, next to Cores, in hours. It's the safety net against leaving a workstation running — see suspend and resume.
- The Hourly Price Summary lists active and suspended rates separately. Suspending always costs less than running; how much less depends on your workspace, so read the two figures for your own account rather than assuming.
If your coretype belongs to a Coretype Collection, take the Switch to Collection prompt, equal or better performance at the same cost, with a better chance of getting capacity. Compare options with the Coretype Explorer link.
Guidance:
- Pick a GPU coretype for CAD, meshing, and visualization. The GPU renders the stream you're watching, so it affects how the session feels, not just how fast it computes.
- Size for pre/post work, not for the solve. If you'll submit the solve as a separate job, the workstation doesn't need solver-sized hardware.
- Choose a region near your data to cut transfer time — and near you to cut latency.
- Check suspension eligibility. Not every coretype supports suspension. If you plan to keep this setup, confirm before launching — see suspend and resume.
4. Attach files and jobs
Four ways to get data onto the desktop:
The step states the rule plainly:
For workstations, you may return to this step after launching to add further attachments. You must specify any storage devices to be attached at launch.
Attached files list their name, ID, and size, with actions to compress, decompress, download, or remove:
Files and jobs can also be attached to a running workstation:
Rescale stores the new file as a separate object, so cloud storage keeps both and gives no warning. But on the workstation, the new file overwrites the old one. If you need both, rename one before attaching.
Attaching a running job to monitor it live
You can attach a running job to watch it as it goes. This requires the job and the workstation to be in the same region and on the same cloud provider. The workstation joins the job's cluster as a client over the private network, which only works if they're colocated.
You don't have to work that out yourself. Rescale enforces colocation by filtering your choices:
- Setting up a new workstation: the first running job you select establishes the location. Any job that can't be reached from there is greyed out, so everything you can select is monitorable in one session.
- Then on the Hardware tab: the coretype list is narrowed to hardware in that location. Whatever you pick will connect.
- On an already-running workstation: the attachments dialog shows only jobs in proximity; the rest are greyed out.
So the order matters, attach jobs first, then choose hardware, and the filtering does the work.
Colocation previously had to be arranged by hand, and a mismatch meant the connection simply failed after you'd already paid to start the workstation. If you have older notes or scripts that coordinate regions manually, they're no longer necessary.
5. Automations
Optional scripts that run on the workstation. Skip it for interactive work: see automations.
6. Review and submit
Check your software, hardware, and attachments. You can optionally add output file filters, type a selector and click Add to limit which files are returned. Multiple filters put all matches into one archive.
Then Submit. First launch takes about 15 minutes for Linux, 25 for Windows, see what a workstation is for why. The Connect button appears when the desktop is ready.
Troubleshooting
Hardware I expect isn't listed. The list is filtered by your software, OS, and region. Change the region or check whether the application is available for that OS.
Startup is taking longer than 25 minutes. This happens on Windows with certain hardware and software combinations. It's usually still progressing: see the start-up explanation in concepts.
"Hardware not eligible for Suspension." That coretype can't be suspended. Pick another if you need suspension: see suspend and resume.
Related
- Connect to your desktop — once it's running
- Templates — skip this flow next time
- Suspend and resume — keep the setup without paying for compute
- Save and sync your files — getting results back out
- Limits & supported configurations — what's supported where