Last updated: September 14, 2026tiCrypt 2.17.9
Concepts
tiCrypt's architecture differs from traditional shared computing environments in fundamental ways: encryption is per-resource rather than per-perimeter, compute happens inside ephemeral VMs rather than on shared nodes, and administrative access to infrastructure is structurally decoupled from access to research data. Start here before moving to the admin guide, user guide, or training materials. These pages bridge the gap between what you already know and how tiCrypt works.
Core Concepts in 60 Seconds
tiCrypt uses six terms that sound similar but control different things. Skim them before diving into the pages below:
- System Role: Your level in the platform hierarchy (User, Sub-Admin, Admin, Super-Admin). It decides who you can see and manage, not what you can do.
- User Profile: A named, reusable bundle of a system role plus granular permissions. An administrator creates profiles and applies them to users, individually or in bulk. It is not a personal settings page, and users do not edit their own.
- VM Role: Who you are inside a particular virtual machine (Owner, Co-Owner, Manager, User).
- VM Permissions: What that role lets you do inside that machine. Set per VM, and they take precedence over your system permissions: being an Admin grants nothing inside a VM.
- Team: Your organizational group with shared resource quotas.
- Project: A security boundary that tags resources with compliance requirements.
| Page | Who it helps | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| From Shared Computing Cluster to tiCrypt | Researchers and IT staff migrating from a shared computing or HPC environment | Concept-by-concept mapping table, dual Slurm architecture, data lifecycle, quick-start checklist |
| Institutional Role Mapping | PIs, lab managers, IT directors setting up tiCrypt for a research group | How to compose system roles, user profiles, and VM roles to reproduce institutional personas |
| VM Roles and Permissions | Anyone working with tiCrypt virtual machines | How Owner, Co-Owner, Manager, and User roles work inside a VM, independently from the main system |