# Get Started with MSI

MSI is organized by what we call a “**PI group**”, which is a Principal Investigator and their students and collaborators. Being an “MSI PI” has nothing to do with funding, sponsorship, or external resources; it is simply how MSI designates the leader of a research group. The PI is generally a faculty member, but not always (see “[who can get access](#who-can-get-access),” below). Members of the group are generally students, postdocs, research staff, and others working on that PI’s research.

PI groups have their own storage allocations and share a [fairshare](../compute/job_sizing) score. Individual members of groups have their own small storage allocations of 5GB on Tier 2, but most data will be shared for group access.

## Who Can Get Access?

### Users:

**Anyone with UMN credentials can be added as a user to a PI Group** by the PI or a Group Admin via [MyMSI](https://mymsi.msi.umn.edu/). This includes students, postdocs, staff researchers, academic professionals, other faculty members, etc. If you want to add someone to your group who does not have UMN credentials, they will need to first get a [POI account](../new_users/collaborators).

```{tip}
Students that are graduating can retain access following the guidance shown on our [working with external collaborators](./collaborators) page.
```

### PIs:
The following individuals are eligible to open a Principal Investigator (PI) group at MSI:

- **Faculty members** at the UMN with job classifications 9401, 9402, 9403, 9410, or 9362
  - To gain access, go to the [Access Form](https://mymsi.msi.umn.edu/onboard/start) to request an account
- **Course Instructors at the UMN for class accounts**
    - Instructors may request accounts for students in a course they are teaching for access to MSI for the duration of the course
    - These requests should be made at least two weeks before the class begins
    - To gain access, follow the instructions at [Applying for Class Accounts](https://msi.umn.edu/getting-started/applying-for-class-accounts)
- **Academic Professionals** with job classification 97xx and **Instructors** at the UMN with job classification 9404
  - If their research is not part of research led by a faculty member and/or a center/institute
  - To gain access, the appropriate dean, department head, or center director must submit the [Non-faculty PI eligibility form](https://msi.umn.edu/helpdesk?ticket_type=pi-eligibility) to be eligible
- **Faculty researchers at other accredited institutions** of post-secondary education in the State of Minnesota
  - To gain access, please [contact the MSI Help Desk](https://msi.umn.edu/helpdesk)
  - Due to licensing agreements, some software packages cannot be used by the research groups of PIs not affiliated with the University of Minnesota; for questions, please [contact the MSI Help Desk](https://msi.umn.edu/helpdesk)
- **Emeritus faculty** of the University of Minnesota
  - To gain access, please [contact the MSI Help Desk](https://msi.umn.edu/helpdesk)

Please note: Postdocs are not eligible to be an MSI PI. Postdocs should work with their faculty PIs to be added to their PI’s group.

## What Do I Do After I Get Access?

Once your account is active, this is a productive first path through the docs:

1. {doc}`Learn MSI terminology <msi-terminology>` so terms like PI group, partition, and Tier 2 are familiar.
2. {doc}`Choose a connection method <../connect/connect_login>` to decide between Open OnDemand, SSH, X11, or Citrix.
3. {doc}`Start interactive work <../compute/interactive_compute>` or {doc}`submit a Slurm job <../compute/slurm_job_submission>` depending on your workflow.
4. {doc}`Review storage options <../storage/storage>` before moving data into home, project, scratch, or Tier 2 storage.
5. Review information about [compute](https://msi.umn.edu/about-msi-services/high-performance-computing), both included and paid.
6. {doc}`Review software access <../software/software_modules>` if you need modules or plan to install software in your own space.

7. For additional training, see [MSI Tutorials](https://msi.umn.edu/tutorials) and the [MSI YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@UofMMSI/videos).