Add an MPI Task

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Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008

Jobs that work with parallel tasks through Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS-MPI) require the use of the mpiexec command; therefore, commands for parallel tasks must be in the following format: mpiexec [mpi_options] <myapp.exe> [arguments], where myapp.exe is the name of the application to run. The mpiexec command takes a number of arguments which allow you to control MPI process placement, networking affinity, and other run time parameters. For more information about these parameters, see the Windows HPC Server 2008 Command Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=120724).

Adding an MPI task

In HPC Cluster Manager, the option to add a task is available in the New Job, Modify Job, and Copy Job dialog boxes. As an example, the following procedure describes how to add a task in the New Job dialog box.

For information about using HPC Cluster Manager, see Overview of HPC Cluster Manager.

To create an MPI task

  1. In Job Management, in the Actions pane, click New Job.

  2. In the left pane of the New Job dialog box, click Task List.

  3. Point to the Add button, click the down arrow, then click Basic Task.

  4. In the Basic Task dialog box, type a name for your task.

  5. Type the task command, relative to the working directory, in the Command line entry box. For example, type mpiexec myapp.exe.

  6. Specify the Working directory for your task. In general, a working directory should be indicated with a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path, not a relative or a local path.

  7. Specify the Standard input, Standard output, and Standard error file names relative to the working directory.

  8. Set the minimum and maximum number of cores necessary for your job.

  9. Click Save to add the task to your job and return to the New Job dialog box.

Additional considerations

  • The New Single Task Job dialog box provides a quick way to submit an MPI task. When you use this method, you automatically accept all default job property values as defined by the job template that you use.

  • To open HPC Cluster Manager, click Start, point to All Programs, click Microsoft HPC Pack, and then click HPC Cluster Manager. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

Additional references