Launching Parallel Programs

This section describes how to launch a parallel program. Launching requires the services of a resource manager, which should have been set up as described in Resource Managers. PTP is able to launch applications that have been compiled to use an MPI runtime system, those compiled to use the OpenMP system, and a combination of MPI and OpenMP. It is also possible to launch multiple copies of a sequential program so that they execute simultaneously.

Topics include:

  1. Creating a parallel launch configuration
  2. Completing the Resources tab
  3. Completing the Application tab
  4. Completing the Debugger tab
  5. Completing the Arguments tab
  6. Launching the application

Step 1: Create a parallel launch configuration

Note: At least one resource manager must have been configured and started before it is possible to create a parallel launch configuration.

  1. Open the run configuration dialog using Run > Open Run Dialog... or click the run icon menu on the tool bar and select Open Run Dialog...


  2. Create a new parallel launch configuration by clicking Parallel Application and then clicking on the New button icon.



  3. Enter a name for the configuration in the Name: field. Here we use the same name as the project.

Step 2: Complete the Resources tab

The Resources tab is used to specify the resources required for the job execution. The contents of this tab will vary for different resource managers. This description only applys to the Open MPI and MPICH2 resource managers.

  1. Select a resource manager from the drop-down (Note: a resource manager must be running for it to appear in the list. If there is only one resource manager running, then it will be automatically selected.)


  2. Some resource managers require a job queue to be selected using a Queue: drop-down. If there is no drop-down, then this resource manager does not support multiple queues.


  3. Enter a value in the Number of Processes field. This field must be greater than 0 in order to launch a job, and specifies the number of processes to use for the application launch.


Step 3: Complete the Application tab

The Application tab is used to specify the application (executable) to be launched.

  1. Ensure that the correct the Parallel Project is selected. This is the project containing the source and binaries for the application.


  2. Select the Application Program (executable) that you wish to launch by clicking on the Browse button. If you are running the application on the local machine, you will need to navigate to the workspace and project directory. In this case, and if you are using a debug configuration, the executable will be located in the Debug folder of your project.


    If you are running the application on a remote machine you will need to navigate to the location of the executable on that machine. If the project was built locally, then you will have to manually copy the executable to the remote machine first.



  3. If you wish to have the output from all processes in a single output console, check the Display combined output in a console view option.


Step 4: Complete the Debugger tab

The Debugger tab is only required if you are planning to debug the application. However it is a good idea to complete it now, even if you are only planning to launch a non-debug job.

  1. If no debugger is visible in the Debugger drop-down, select one. This is the debugger that will control the parallel debug session. Currently only SDM is supported (SDM stands for Scalable Debug Manager), so select this.


  2. If you wish the debugger to automatically suspend the application on launch, make sure Stop in main() on startup is checked


  3. Under Debugger options, make sure that the path to debugger executable is correct.


    If you are debugging on the local machine, this path should point to the sdm executable in your Ecilpse 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).


    If you are debugging remotely, then this path will be the path to where the sdm executable was installed on the remote machine.


  4. Set the Debugger session address. This is the address that the debugger will connect to when it starts, and will depend on where you are launching the application:


Step 5: Complete the Arguments tab

  1. Enter any program arguments.


  2. Select a different working directory if desired. Note that for a remote launch, this will be the location of the execution on the remote machine.

Step 6: Launching the application

The launch configuration is now complete. Click on the Run button to launch the program. At this point the application should begin execution. The Monitoring Parallel Machines and Jobs section will show you how to monitor the program's execution.

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