3 – Using InfiniPath MPI File I/O in MPI

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3.8.1

MPD Description

The Multi-Purpose Daemon (MPD) was developed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), as part of the MPICH-2 system. While the ANL MPD had certain advantages over the use of their mpirun (faster launching, better cleanup after crashes, better tolerance of node failures), the InfiniPath mpirun offers the same advantages.

The disadvantage of MPD is reduced security, since it does not use ssh to launch node programs. It is also a little more complex to use than mpirun because it requires starting a ring of MPD daemons on the nodes. Therefore, most users should use the normal mpirun mechanism for starting jobs as described in the previous chapter. However, for users who wish to use MPD, it is included in the InfiniPath software.

3.8.2

Using MPD

To start an MPD environment, use the mpdboot program. You must provide mpdboot with a file listing the machines on which to run the mpd daemon. The format of this file is the same as for the mpihosts file in the mpirun command.

Here is an example of how to run mpdboot:

$ mpdboot -f hostsfile

After mpdboot has started the MPD daemons, it will print a status message and drop you into a new shell.

To leave the MPD environment, exit from this shell. This will terminate the daemons.

To run an MPI program from within the MPD environment, use the mpirun command. You do not need to provide a mpihosts file or a count of CPUs; by default, mpirun will use all nodes and CPUs available within the MPD environment.

To check the status of the MPD daemons, use the mpdping command

NOTE: To use MPD, the software package mpi-frontend-2.0*.rpmmust be installed on all nodes. See the InfiniPath Install Guide for more details on software installation.

3.9

File I/O in MPI

File I/O in MPI is discussed briefly in the following two sections.

3.9.1

Linux File I/O in MPI Programs

MPI node programs are Linux programs, which can do file I/O to local or remote files in the usual ways through APIs of the language in use. Remote files are

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IB6054601-00 D

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Q-Logic IB6054601-00 D manual MPD Description, Using MPD, Linux File I/O in MPI Programs, $ mpdboot -f hostsfile
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IB6054601-00 D specifications

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