Configuring Resource Managers

Topics include:

Resource Managers

PTP uses the term resource manager to refer to any subsystem that controls the resources required for launching a parallel job. If the target parallel system employs a job scheduler for controlling access to compute resources, then the job scheduler would be considered the resource manager for the system. For a cluster with Open MPI installed, the Open MPI runtime system would be considered the resource manager.

In order for PTP to launch, monitor, and control applications on a target system, it must know what type of resource manager is being employed. PTP allows you to configure and manage resource managers that correspond to target systems. Each resource manager controls one target system, although a particular target system may have more than one type of resource manager.

Resource managers can be local or remote. A local resource manager controls resources on the local machine running Eclipse. A remote resource manager controls resources on a physically remote system. The process of configuring a local or remote resource manager is the same.

Step 1: Creating a resource manager

  1. Open the PTP Runtime Perspective using Window > Open Perspective > Other... and then choose PTP Runtime from the list of perspectives.



  2. Right-click in Resource Managers view and select Add Resource Manager...



  3. Choose the resource manager that corresponds to the target system. In this example we will use the ORTE resource manager, which is used to control the Open MPI Open Runtime Environment.



  4. Select Next >

Step 2a: Configuring a local resource manager

In this example, we will show how to configure PTP to use a local resource manager, for example, where Eclipse is installed on the head node of a cluster. This was the scenario that PTP 1.x handled.

The ORTE Proxy Configuration dialog is used to configure how Eclipse will communicate with the resource manager.

  1. To configure the simple case of a local resource manager, select Local as the Remote service provider.


  2. For the local case, the Proxy server location will be automatically set to Local.


  3. The Path to proxy executable should already contain a path that points to the ptp_orte_proxy executable file in your local Eclipse installation. If not, you will need to navigate to your Eclipse installation's plugins/org.eclipse.ptp.os.arch_version/bin directory, where os.arch_version is your operating system (linux, macosx, or aix), architecture (x86, x86_64, or ppc), and version number of the plugin (e.g. 2.0.0.200803261107).


  4. Leave the Extra proxy arguments field empty unless your resource manager documentation instructs otherwise.


  5. The Multiplexing Options allow communication to be tunneled over a single connection if necessary. For the local case, it is not required, and None should be selected.


  6. The Local address for proxy connection should be set to the address of your local machine (its host name, IP address, or localhost).


  7. The Launch server manually checkbox is used for debugging purposes and should be left unchecked.


  8. Select Next >

Step 2b: Configuring a remote resource manager

This example will demonstrate configuring a remote resource manager, where Eclipse and PTP are on your local laptop or workstation, and PTP controls a remote target system. This is one of the most significant improvements in PTP 2.0. A small set of PTP components need to be installed on the remote node. See the installation instructions for details on how to do this.

A remote resource manager allows PTP to control a remote target machine. To accomplish this, PTP uses the services of a remote service provider. Currently supported remote service providers include the Remote Tools package (a part of PTP) and the Eclipse Remote Systems Explorer (RSE) which is an optional package that can be installed at any time.

The only reason to use RSE rather than Remote Tools is if your remote system does not use the ssh protocol for remote connections, or you wish to use the additional functionality that RSE provides. See the RSE documentation for more information. We will only consider Remote Tools here, but the steps for configuring RSE are similar.

  1. In the ORTE Proxy Configuration dialog, select Remote Tools as the Remote service provider.



  2. At this point, you need to configure a Proxy server location. This will differ depending on the remote service provider that you selected in the previous step. The following steps describe configuring a Remote Tools location.


    1. Select New...


    2. In the Remote Host dialog, enter a name for the connection in the Target Name field (can be anything).



    3. Select the Remote Host radio button.


    4. Enter the address of the remote host in the Host field.


    5. The Port field should be left at 22 unless your installation uses a different port for ssh connections.


    6. Enter your user name on the remote machine in the User field.


    7. If you use password authentication, select the Password based authentication radio button and enter the password in the Password field.


    8. If you use key based authentication, select the Public key based authentication radio button, select the file containing your public key, and enter the passphrase for your key (or leave blank if you don't use a passphrase).


    9. Click Finish


  3. The Path to proxy executable field needs to point to the ptp_orte_proxy executable file on the remote machine. If this isn't filled in correctly already, then navigate to the ptp_orte_proxy executable by clicking on the Browse button and select it.



  4. Leave the Extra proxy arguments field empty unless your resource manager documentation instructs otherwise.


  5. The Multiplexing Options allow communication to be tunneled over a single connection if supported by the remote service provider. To enable tunneling, select the Use port forwarding radio button.



  6. If you don't wish to use port forwarding, select the None radio button and enter the address of your local machine (its host name, or IP address) in the Local address for proxy connection field. Note that if your site does not allow outbound connections from the remote machine to your local machine, then you must use port forwarding.


  7. The Launch server manually checkbox is used for debugging purposes and should be left unchecked.


  8. Select Next >

Step 3: Resource manager-specific configuration

The next page will show configuration information specific to a particular resource manager. In this case, the ORTED Configuration dialog is shown. You will not normally need to change this information.

  1. If you wish to specify the location of the orted daemon, or add extra arguments, uncheck the Use default settings checkbox.


    1. Browse to the location of the orted executable and select it.


    2. Add any extra arguments to the Extra ORTED arguments field.


  2. Select Next >

Step 4: Finishing resource manager configuration

The final dialog is Choose Resource Manager Name and Description which provides an opportunity to change how the resource manager is displayed.

  1. If you wish to change the name or description, uncheck the Use default name and description checkbox.


    1. Enter a new name in the Name field. Anything can be entered.


    2. Enter a new description in the Description field. Anything can be entered.


  2. Select Finish

The new Resource Manager should appear in the list of Resource Managers.

Step 5: Starting the resource manager

  1. To start the resource manager, right mouse click on the resource manager in the Resource Managers view, then select Start Resource Manager from the context menu.



  2. The resource manager icon should change color to green to indicate has been successfully started.



  3. In the Machines view you should see an icon representing your target system and icons showing status of the node(s).



  4. If the resource manager fails to start (the icon is red), right click on the resource manager and select Stop Resource Manager. Check the log files for the reason that the resource manager failed to start, correct the error and restart again.

Editing a resource manager

It is sometimes necessary to change the configuration of an existing resource manager, for example, to change the remote machine that the resource manager controls. Note that the resource manager cannot be edited when it is running.

  1. If the resource manager is running, stop it first. Right-click on the resource manager and select Stop Resource Manager


  2. Right-click on the resource manager and select Edit Resource Manager



  3. Modify the required configuration settings and click Finish.


  4. Restart the resource manager.

Removing a Resource Manager

If the resource manager is no longer required, it can be removed from the Resource Managers view

  1. If the resource manager is running, stop it first. Right-click on the resource manager and select Stop Resource Manager


  2. Right-click on the resource manager and select Remove Resource Manager



  3. You will be prompted to confirm removal. Click OK

Proceed to Launching a parallel application.

 

Back to Top | Back to Table of Contents