Where would you like to start?
Pick the guide that matches what you need. Each one stands on its own.
Your first job
Connect, submit a tiny test job and check the result, one step at a time. About 30 minutes once you have access.
Using an AI coding agent?AI agent guide
Teach Codex, Claude Code or Copilot the Aqua workflow so it can prepare, submit and check jobs within limits you set.
Required from 2 November 2026Project ID (RPID)
Find your research project ID, add it to your job scripts, and build the commands with a local helper.
Not sure how long to ask for?Walltime calculator
Turn a quick timing measurement into a walltime request with headroom, and check it fits the queue.
Checking on jobs a lot?Mount Aqua
Open Aqua’s files on your computer through one connection, and poll jobs without logging in over and over.
Tired of checking the queue?Notifications
Get a phone notification when a job starts, finishes, fails or is held.
Running ROS or robotics?ROS on Aqua
Four checks for headless ROS jobs: the code that runs, job isolation, reliable startup and complete output.
The rules live hereOfficial QUT docs
Accounts, access, storage and current requirements. They take precedence over this guide.
Aqua in one minute.
Aqua is QUT’s high-performance computing (HPC) system: a shared group of powerful computers. You don’t run experiments on it directly. Instead you:
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Connect to a login node
Using SSH from your own computer’s terminal.
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Submit a job
A script plus a request for CPUs, memory, GPUs and time, charged to your project’s RPID.
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Let the scheduler run it
PBS starts the job on a compute node when resources are free, then you check the output.
What you need before you begin.
- A QUT account with HPC access. If you don’t have one, ask your supervisor or see QUT’s Aqua documentation.
- Your research project’s RPID.
- A terminal on your computer. No AI tool is needed to start.
This is a community guide from QCR researchers, not official QUT policy. Where they differ, follow QUT.