Star-P software is a client-server
parallel-computing platform that’s been designed to work with
multiple Very High Level Language (VHLL) client applications such as
MATLAB®, Python, or R, and has built-in tools to expand VHLL
computing capability through addition of libraries and hardware-based
accelerators.
Star-P server has been installed on CBI's
30-nodes (120 cores) cluster system. CBI users need to download and
install client program in order to use Star-P. Currently, Star-P only
supports Windows and Linux clients.
For Linux, download the StarP Linux
installation Package, which contains both Star-P server and
client program. unzip the package and run the installation program
called install.sh and select client installation.
For Windows, download the Star-p Windows
installation Package, and run the program.
Important:
Matlab has to be installed on the client computer before Star-P is
installed.
Important info you need during the
installations:
- Answer "No" when you are asked if using a Star-P Admin
Server.
- The HPC host name is cluster.cbi.utsa.edu.
- Input 40 for the number of processors.
- The Unix username is your login ID with CBI.
- The path to Star-P HPC software is /usr/local/starp/2.6.0/.
- Edit the file starpd.properties under config/ in the starp
install directory. Locate the line "starpd.client.matlab.usessh=false"
and change false to true.
Some known problems:
- Star-P client for Matlab does not work on 64-bit Linux
platform. Version 2007b does not solve the problem. We are waiting for
the response from Star-p support team.
- Star-P client need a third party ssh client, say, putty, in
order to use ssh tunneling on 64-bit Windows. Passwordless
authentication has to be set up between the client computer and CBI
cluster. See the instructions below:
- Star-P has been setup to use the Sun Grid Engine as its
workload manager. What this means is that if the cluster is in use,
Star-P will not run, but will wait in the queue. The problem this
creates is when the client times out waiting, it will leave the job in
the queue. So please check beforehand by running qstat from the command
line.
Set up putty as the ssh client for Star-P
on 64-bit Windows:
-
-
Use puttygen under putty
installation directory to generate the key pair. Save the private key
in a file.
-
Here is the tricky part. You do not
save the public key and copy it to the server since it will add line
breaks and will fail the process. Instead, you copy the content of the
key from the puttygen windows, and then paste it in a text editor, say
notepad. save the file and copy it to your home directory on the server
using the following command: pscp public-key-file-name
your-CBI-ID@cluster.cbi.utsa.edu: (pscp is part of putty
package, you can find it in the putty install directory)
-
ssh to cluster.cbi.utsa.edu using
putty.
-
Add the public key by command: cat
public-key-file-name >> .ssh/authrized_keys.
-
Run puttyant (in putty directory),
it will appear at the Windows toolbar. Right click the icon at the
toolbar and add the saved private key. (You will need to start pagent
and add key each time you log in to your Windows account)
-
Edit the file starpd.properties
under config/ in the Star-P install directory.
-
Locate the line containing
"starpd.client.matlab.usessh=false" and change false to true.
-
Locate the line containing
"starpd.ssh.client=jsch" and change jsch to putty.
-
Locate the line starting with
"starpd.ssh.executable" and change it to read:
starpd.ssh.executable=c:\\putty\\plink=c:\\putty\\plinkutty.
-
IMPORTANT: remove # if any at the
beginning of these lines.
