NERSC Electronic Computer User Agreement form

User Accountability

Users are accountable for their actions. Violations of policy may result in applicable administrative or legal sanctions.

Resource Use

Resources provided by NERSC are to be used only for activities authorized by the Department of Energy (DOE) or the NERSC Director. The use of NERSC resources for personal or private benefit is prohibited. NERSC resources are provided to users without any warranty. NERSC will not be held liable in the event of any system failure or loss of data. NERSC resources cannot be used for any military or defense end use or application, or to facilitate any transaction that would otherwise violate U.S. export control regulations.

Passwords and Usernames

A user identifier known as a username and password are required of all users. Passwords must be changed at NERSC's request. All passwords must conform to NERSC guidelines, which are found in Getting Help/passwords. Passwords must not be shared with any other person and must be changed as soon as possible after an unacceptable exposure, suspected compromise or by direction of a NERSC staff member.

Notification

Users must notify NERSC immediately when they become aware that any of the accounts used to access NERSC have been compromised. Users should promptly inform NERSC of any changes in their contact information.

Software and Data

This system is intended for fundamental research. Use, storage, or processing of export-controlled software or Technical Data (as defined by EAR (Export Administration Regulations) or ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)), proprietary information, personally identifiable information, and health information (such as data covered by HIPPA, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act) may be legally restricted and is not permitted without legal review and authorization, and written permission of the NERSC director.

All software used on NERSC computers must be appropriately acquired and used according to the appropriate licensing. Possession, use or transmission of illegally obtained software is prohibited. Likewise, users shall not copy, store or transfer copyrighted software or data, except as permitted by the owner of the copyright.

Use by Foreign National

Use by foreign nationals is generally permitted regardless of whether access to NERSC is from the United States or abroad. However, OFAC (Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control) regulations prohibit use of NERSC services by citizens of Cuba, Iran, Syria or Sudan while residing and/or working in one of those countries.

Deviations from Authorized Privileges Not Allowed

General: Users are not allowed to deviate from the terms of this NERSC Computer User Agreement in any way, including, but not limited to, the following:

Unauthorized Access Users are prohibited from attempting to send or receive unintended messages or access information by unauthorized means, such as imitating another system, impersonating another user or other person, misuse of legal user credentials (usernames, passwords, etc.), or by causing some system component to function incorrectly.

Altering Authorized Access: Users are prohibited from changing or circumventing access controls that allow themselves or others to perform actions outside their intended authorized privileges.

Reconstruction of Information or Software Users are not allowed to reconstruct or recreate information or software for which they are not authorized.

Data Modification or Destruction Users are prohibited from taking actions that intentionally modify or delete information or programs for which they are not authorized.

Malicious Software Users must not intentionally introduce or use malicious software, including, but not limited to, computer viruses, Trojan horses, or worms.

Denial of Service Actions Users may not use NERSC resources to interfere with any service availability, either at NERSC, or at other sites.

Data Retention

NERSC reserves the right to remove any data at any time and/or transfer data to other individuals working on the same or similar project once a user account is deleted or a person no longer has a business association with NERSC.

Account Usage

Users are not allowed to share their accounts with others, except with the express written permission of the NERSC Director.

Monitoring and Privacy

Users have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. NERSC retains the right to and actively monitors the content of all activities on NERSC systems and networks and to access any computer file without prior knowledge or consent of users, senders or recipients.  NERSC may retain copies of any network traffic, computer files or messages indefinitely without user's prior knowledge or consent. NERSC may, at its discretion, share information gathered through monitoring with the Department of Energy, University of California, other incident response organizations, and local, state, federal, and international law enforcement organizations.

NERSC personnel and users are required to address, safeguard against and report misuse, abuse and criminal activities. Misuse of NERSC resources can lead to temporary or permanent disabling of accounts, loss of DOE allocations, and administrative or legal actions.