Server Modes

The MDI apps server can be launched on different computers depending on your needs. In all cases, you will access the data analysis apps via a web browser embedded into the desktop app.

Local computer mode

Local Computer mode uses R to install the web server on your desktop or laptop, so that the web browser and web server run on the same local computer.

Local mode is responsive and secure, but you must manually transfer processed data files to your computer, or a provider needs to share such files with you, e.g., via email.

Remote server mode

A Remote Server runs on a remote computer on its login host, either a high performance computing (HPC) resource or a server dedicated to running the MDI. The local computer connects to the server via a secure SSH tunnel.

In Remote mode, you can use the Pipeline Runner to execute Stage 1 pipelines and then analyze their output using Stage 2 apps on the same server. For users with an HPC solution accessible by SSH, the slightly more complex configuration is an excellent trade-off for the added capabilities when running the MDI remotely.

Cluster Node Mode

Cluster Node mode is similar to Remote Server except that now the web server runs on a worker node that is part of a remote server cluster running Slurm as its job scheduler. The server login node proxies web requests from the local computer to the cluster node, again using SSH.

Node mode is best for users wishing to exploit the advantages of a remote server whose configuration allows for computational processes to run on a dedicated node accessed via an authorized user account, e.g., the UM Great Lakes server cluster.

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