Manage the TRE computing resources#

Since the Data Safe Haven platform runs on MS Azure cloud service, we have the ability to allocate computing resources as needed for projects, providing this comes within the project budget.

Typically resource management will involve adapting to project needs as per discussions with the project team; adding, removing or modifying the Secure Research Desktop (SRD) VMs associated with a given SRE.

Decision process#

How should we decide when/whether/how to increase compute resources?

At the project outset, the Project Team should have reviewed the project costing page and informed TRESA of the costing/compute requirements. This can be revisited at any point during the project, depending on the needs of the project.

If the Project Team informs TRESA that the computing resources of the TRE are inadequate for their purposes, or they have a more specific request for a particular Azure VM, do the following:

  1. Discuss with the Project Team (e.g. the Project Manager) whether increased resources are needed and exactly what they would find most useful

    • Refer to the project costing page, but make sure to check the latest Microsoft Azure documentation for accurate costings

  2. If a more expensive VM is required, determine whether this change should endure for the rest of the project, or a specific time window. If the latter, plan when would be appropriate to reduce costs by switching back to cheaper VM(s).

  3. Follow the guides linked below to modify the computing resources as needed

  4. Add comment(s) to the TRE GitHub issue reflecting decisions made and when changes were made in Azure, so there is a log of this

How to modify TRE computing resources#