cloudRmpi
 


FAQs

  1. How long does it take to launch a network? 

    Launching ec2 instances usually takes less than a minute (however, Amazon makes no guarantees about launch times).  Getting spot instances usually takes longer - often another minute or two but occasionally more. Once the instances are launched, it can take a minute for the operating system to boot. Then ompi-ppe performs some configuration, which usually takes a minute or less.  Altogether it usually takes under five minutes for the entire process, but ec2 response time can vary considerably.
  2. What's the difference between 'master' and 'slave' ec2 instances?
    Not much.  The master instance has
  3. The AWS Management Console shows my instances with status 'running' but the ec2-network-manager my network as 'pending' - why?

    AWS's monitoring lists instances as 'running' as soon as they are launched, typically before the operating system has finished booting. When launching a network, the ec2-network-manager waits for the operating system to boot and then performs some configuration.  It does not show the network's status as 'running' until all instances are booted and configured.
  4. Do I need to use the gui? 

    At present there is no R function to create a network.  
  5. Can I launch cloudRmpi AMIs using the AWS Management console?

    Yes, but you'll have to set a few things up yourself, including creating an appropriate security group and creating an ompi hostfile.
  6. Can I add instances to a running network?

    cloudRmpi does not  support this.  We usually use cc1.4large instances. which are run in a cluster placement group; instances cannot be added to a running placement group.
  7. What is the difference between the pv and hvm AMIs?

    Amazon supports two types of virtualization: Paravirtual Machine (PV) and Hardware Virtual Machine (HVM).  Each AMIs has one (and only one) of these virtualization types.  Only HVM AMIs can be run in clusters.   See Choosing an Instance Type and Machine Images for more information.
  8. Why do I need Java? Ompi doesn't support it.

    Amazon's api for launching EC2 instances is in Java.
  9. How do I cut and paste in OS X?

    Used cntrl-v to paste (and command-c to cut, as usual). This is an idyiosyncracy of  the implementation of Java on the Mac.