[euler-users] Visual Studio Code - Remote Workspaces

[Colin Vanden Heuvel]

Hello Euler Users,

I'm not happy to need to say this, but starting today, the use of Visual Studio Code (VSCode) for remote editing on Euler is discouraged; while this is not set in stone, the tentative plan is to ban it outright in the future.

The Problem:

Lately, a number of users have taken to using VSCode in ways that place undue burden on the cluster as a whole, sometimes leading to severe performance degradation. This behavior does not seem to be malicious or even the fault of the end user; it's simply part of the design of VSCode and several of its extensions. As a result, there is very little that a user can do make the program behave in a way that it will work well on Euler. While I am looking into solutions which would remedy this, I have yet to find a method that won't cause loss of functionality for well-behaved programs as well.

I know many of you use this software as part of your workflow because it presents a very easy way to interact with and edit large codebases, but I can't allow one user's workflow to have such a negative impact on everyone else. Additionally, I have some security and compliance concerns with the data collected by Microsoft when VSCode or Extension telemetry is enabled. While you may want to help Microsoft and its contributors improve their products by sending such information, that telemetry can contain sensitive data about UW computer systems which should not be sent outside of the University.

Moving Forward:

For now, if you are a VSCode user, please DISABLE TELEMETRY and start looking into alternative workflows in the near future. If you would like to discuss the available options with your peers, you may use the new Euler Q&A discussion site at https://euler-answers.cae.wisc.edu/ to ask other Euler users and staff (including me) for their opinions.

If you have an immediate concern or technical issue, please open a support ticket by emailing euler-...@engr.wisc.edu.

Regards,

Colin Vanden Heuvel