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Step 1: Create a Workstation Node Template

Updated: May 25, 2012

Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008 R2

Before workstation nodes can be added, you must create a workstation node template. A workstation node template is used to do the following:

  • Add workstation computers to the cluster as workstation nodes

  • Specify the availability policy of the workstation nodes (that is, how and when workstation nodes are available to run cluster jobs)

Workstation nodes can be brought online to run jobs and be taken offline manually or automatically. If you want workstation nodes to be brought online and offline automatically, you must specify a weekly availability policy in the workstation node template.

If your cluster is updated with at least HPC Pack 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and you specify a weekly availability policy in the workstation node template, you can optionally configure user activity detection settings for the workstation nodes. These settings help ensure that HPC jobs do not interfere with users’ work on the workstations. For more information, see About user activity detection settings in this topic.

You can create more than one workstation node template, to have different availability policies for different workstation nodes. For example, you can specify different days and times for different workstation nodes to be available for running jobs, or you might want some nodes to be brought online and offline manually. You can also modify a workstation node template at any time, making the changes effective immediately.

ImportantImportant
  • Workstation nodes that are configured to be brought online and offline according to a weekly availability policy cannot be brought online or offline manually. To configure these nodes to be brought online and offline manually, you must assign to them a different workstation node template, or you must modify their current workstation node template.

  • Changes made to a workstation node template affect all workstation nodes to which the template is assigned.

In a cluster running Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 with at least SP1, user activity detection settings can be configured in a workstation node template that do the following:

  • Restrict the workstation nodes that are brought online to run HPC jobs during an online time block only to those workstation computers where the keyboard and mouse have been inactive for a specified period of time

  • Further restrict the workstation nodes that are used to those computers where CPU usage is below a specified level

User activity detection settings can help ensure that HPC jobs do not interfere with a user’s work on a workstation during a scheduled online time block. The following list describes specific behaviors of workstation nodes that are deployed using a node template that configures user activity detection settings:

  • User activity detection settings are ignored on workstation nodes where HPC Pack 2008 R2 is installed and has not been upgraded to at least SP1.

  • An HPC job will run with BelowNormal priority on the workstation nodes. This ensures that the HPC tasks will not take priority over other normal processes on the workstation nodes.

  • HPC jobs are automatically stopped on a workstation node when keyboard or mouse input is detected. This means that HPC tasks will relinquish the system quickly when users log on to their workstations.

  • If settings are configured for detecting CPU usage on a workstation node running HPC Pack 2008 R2 with SP1, the workstation node is not available to run HPC jobs during an online time block until the CPU usage drops below the specified level. After a workstation node is made available by CPU policy, it will remain available throughout the rest of the online time block unless it is stopped by keyboard or mouse input. This may cause HPC jobs to compete with scheduled tasks that start running on the nodes.

  • A workstation node running HPC Pack 2008 R2 with at least SP2also automatically becomes available during an online time block if the CPU usage drops below the specified level, but any HPC jobs are stopped automatically when the CPU usage for non-HPC work rises above the specified level. This helps ensure that HPC jobs will not interfere with scheduled tasks on the workstations.

    noteNote
    A workstation administrator can reduce the priority of scheduled tasks on a workstation (using tools in the operating system) so that they do not cause a running HPC job to stop. For example, to ensure that a subsequent scheduled task on a workstation cannot interfere with an HPC job, the workstation administrator can configure the scheduled tasks in the operating system to run with a priority below BelowNormal.

  1. If HPC Cluster Manager is not already open on the head node, open it. Click Start, point to All Programs, click Microsoft HPC Pack 2008 R2, and then click HPC Cluster Manager.

  2. In Configuration, in the Navigation Pane, click Node Templates.

  3. In the Actions pane, click New. The Create Node Template Wizard appears.

  4. On the Choose Node Template Type page, click Workstation node template, and then click Next.

  5. On the Specify Template Name page, type a name for the new workstation node template, and optionally type a description for it. Click Next to continue.

  6. On the Configure Availability Policy page, select how you want workstation nodes to be brought online and offline:

    1. If you want the nodes to be brought online and offline manually, select that option, and then click Next. Go to the last step in this procedure.

    2. If you want the nodes to be brought online and offline automatically, select that option, and then click Configure Availability Policy. The Configure Workstation Availability Policy dialog box appears.

    3. In the Configure Workstation Availability Policy dialog box, click and drag the mouse to select the days and hours at which nodes are online (available to run cluster jobs) and offline (not available to run cluster jobs).

    4. Optionally, specify the number of minutes before the nodes are taken offline, when no new jobs will be started on the workstation nodes.

    5. Optionally, if you are creating the node template using Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 with at least SP1 and you want to configure user activity detection settings to restrict the workstation nodes that are brought online during an online time block, do the following:

      1. If you are running Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 with at least SP2, first click the User Activity Detection tab. Otherwise, continue following the steps in this procedure.

      2. Select the option to only use workstation nodes if no keyboard or mouse input is detected for a specified number of minutes, and select the number of minutes of inactivity before the workstations can run jobs.

      3. To further restrict the workstations nodes that are used by their level of CPU usage, select that option and specify the CPU usage percentage below which the nodes can run jobs.

      ImportantImportant
      User activity detection settings should only be configured in a cluster that contains workstation nodes where HPC Pack 2008 R2 with at least SP1 is installed.

    6. To save your settings, click OK, and then click Next.

  7. To create the workstation node template, on the Review page, click Create.

When you schedule an automatic availability policy for workstation nodes, the workstation nodes are generally taken offline at the scheduled end of an online time block. However, HPC tasks that are still running at the end of an online time block can continue to run for a period if the Task Cancel Grace Period setting is configured. The Task Cancel Grace Period cluster property allows applications to save state information and clean up for a period before exiting (the default period is 15 seconds). The exact time that a task ends depends on whether and how quickly the task responds to the CTRL_BREAK event (the equivalent of the CTRL+BREAK key combination). Tasks that do not process the event will exit immediately, while those that do process the event can take as long as the Task Cancel Grace Period to exit gracefully. For more information, see Task Cancel Grace Period.

Because the Task Cancel Grace Period always starts at the end of the online time block for workstation nodes, those nodes might continue to run HPC tasks for the duration of the Task Cancel Grace Period (or until the tasks process the CTRL_BREAK event and stop). It is possible for HPC tasks to continue after users have resumed activity on the workstations; however, the time of potential overlap is likely to be short.

noteNote
The beginning of the Task Cancel Grace Period on workstation nodes is not affected by the configuration of a task draining period in the availability policy.

The following are recommended best practices to avoid running HPC tasks on workstation nodes inadvertently during unscheduled times if a Task Cancel Grace period is configured:

  1. Specify as small a value for the Task Cancel Grace Period as possible (for example, a value in seconds, not minutes).

  2. Ensure that the HPC applications that run on the workstation nodes that use the Task Cancel Grace Period can clean up quickly and exit. Applications that do not exit soon after receiving the CTRL_BREAK event can continue running as long as the Task Cancel Grace Period.

  3. If you are running Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 with at least SP1, configure user activity detection options in the availability policy. These options help ensure that HPC tasks run with BelowNormal priority on the workstations, and the tasks relinquish the system as soon as keyboard or mouse activity is detected on the workstations.

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