Release Oct 2025

blog/2025-10-30-release/index.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+---
+slug: release-2025-10
+title: |
+  Renku Release | October 2025 • Sessions on CSCS + Private Docker Images
+authors: [laura]
+tags:
+  - RenkuLab Update
+  - Renku 2.0
+  - Sessions
+image: ./cscs-cover.png
+description: What's new on RenkuLab • October 2025
+---
+
+New in Renku this month: We've combined Renku's super-simple sessions with the power of
+supercomputing!
+
+![cscs-cover](cscs-cover.png)
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+## 🚀 Launch Renku Interactive Sessions on CSCS
+
+You can now launch Renku sessions directly on the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS)! This
+feature was broadly requested by our community via the [SDSC Call for
+Collaborations](https://www.datascience.ch/call-for-projects) in 2024 to help lower the barrier to
+entry to using Switzerland's state of the art computing infrastructure.
+
+**No SSH, no SLURM, no container headaches.** Starting a Renku session on CSCS is exactly as easy as
+starting a regular Renku session: just click launch! Renku handles all the complexity— including
+managing job submissions and building CSCS-compatible containers for your project environment— so
+you can focus on your research.
+
+### Get Started with Renku on CSCS
+
+This is an MVP release with limited access. If you'd like to get started, [register for
+access](https://www.notion.so/2810df2efafc803a8175ccd2d472b23d?pvs=21) to the Renku:CSCS
+Integration!
+
+First, connect your existing CSCS account to RenkuLab via the [Renku Integrations page](https://renkulab.io/integrations?targetProvider=cscs.ch).
+
+![Screenshot of CSCS integration](./screenshot-integrations.png)
+
+Create launchers that use CSCS resources by selecting a Renku CSCS resource class (access to these
+resource classes requires
+[registration](https://www.notion.so/2810df2efafc803a8175ccd2d472b23d?pvs=21)). Then, simply click
+'launch' and jump into sessions that look and feel exactly like regular Renku sessions, but with
+access to your CSCS compute resources and data!
+
+![Screenshot of CSCS resource pool selection](./screenshot-cscs-resource-selection.png)
+
+:::info
+
+Sessions consume your own CSCS account resources, not a shared Renku resource pool.
+
+:::
+
+To learn more about how the Renku:CSCS integration works and what you can do with it, check out
+our [RenkuLab:CSCS Integration info
+page](https://www.notion.so/RenkuLab-CSCS-integration-28f0df2efafc80979af6d74ff8238fcc?pvs=21).
+
+**What's next?** We're continuing to develop this integration, with our next goal being simplified
+support for CSCS's ARM clusters, including Daint.
+
+## 🔐 Private Docker Images in Sessions
+
+You can now use docker images from private code repositories in your Renku sessions! Previously, the
+"External Environment" launcher type only supported public images. Now you can connect private
+images from GitHub or GitLab container registries.
+
+To get started, create a Session Launcher in External Environment mode and enter your image
+reference. Renku will let you know if you need to activate any additional integrations to connect to
+the image.
+
+![Screenshot of session launcher with integration required](./screenshot-integration-required.png)
+
+**Access control stays where it belongs.** Each person's ability to launch the session depends on
+their access rights to the image in the source system— connecting a private image to a Renku project
+doesn't grant anyone new access.
+
+Note that configuring custom images requires some setup. Check out our [detailed documentation
+guide](https://renku.notion.site/Renku-How-To-Guides-900f417fc205439789a9fbdc5cadcec8?p=11f0df2efafc80af848ffcaf9ccff31c&pm=s) for
+help getting your image configured correctly.
+
+## …and more!
+
+This blog post covers the highlights from releases `2.7.1` to `2.9.0`. For detailed technical
+release notes and the complete feature list, check out our releases
+on [GitHub](https://github.com/SwissDataScienceCenter/renku/releases).
+
+---
+
+_Image courtesy of CSCS, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)_
+
+🐸 Ready to get started? Hop into [renkulab.io](https://renkulab.io) and get a jumpstart with our
+[documentation](https://renku.notion.site/Documentation-db396cfc9a664cd2b161e4c6068a5ec9).
+
+💬 We love to hear your feedback! Share questions, ideas, and suggestions with us on our
+[forum](https://renku.discourse.group/).
+
+🚀 Curious about what's coming next? Check out our
+[roadmap](https://renku.notion.site/Roadmap-b1342b798b0141399dc39cb12afc60c9) to see what new
+features we're working on.