Understanding Power Settings in a Compute Node Template

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Starting with HPC Pack 2012, you can specify in a compute node template the power scheme (power plan) on a compute node. The power scheme is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how the computer uses power. In a Windows HPC cluster, to ensure proper cluster performance it is usually recommended to specify the High performance power scheme on compute nodes, although that scheme may cause the computer to consume more energy than in other schemes that are available.

To specify the High performance power scheme on compute nodes, in the Create Node Template Wizard, on the Specify Power Settings page, select Change the power settings of new nodes to the high performance power scheme.

Note

The Specify Power Settings page is available starting with HPC Pack 2012 with SP1.

You can also specify the power scheme in Node Template Editor. Click Add Task, point to Maintenance, and then click Power Scheme Settings. You can select one of the default power schemes that are available in the operating system (High performance, Balanced, or Power saver), or another available power scheme.

Additional considerations

  • If you do not specify a power scheme in the node template, the power scheme is the one that is configured in the operating system that is installed on the node or is set by Group Policy.

  • The power settings of the nodes might be reset by Group Policy updates. Discuss with the domain administrator how to maintain the power settings of the nodes in the Windows HPC cluster.

  • In Node Template Editor, to specify a power scheme other than a default scheme, select Other, and enter a power scheme GUID (identifier). To see a list of available power schemes on the nodes and their GUIDs, run the Active Power Scheme Report test in Diagnostics.

  • You can configure the power scheme manually on a compute node by using Control Panel or by running the powercfg command. See Powercfg Command-Line Options for more information. For example, to detect and adjust the power settings on a node:

    1. Open a command prompt with elevated privileges.

    2. Type powercfg –L to view existing settings.

    3. Use the following command to set the High performance power scheme:

      powercfg –s 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c

See Also

Understanding Node Templates
Understanding Diagnostic Tests