Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management
Encyclopedia
Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management (or simply SLURM) is an opensource job scheduler
used by many of the world's supercomputer
s and computer clusters. It provides three key functions. First it allocates exclusive and/or non-exclusive access to resources (computer nodes) to users for some duration of time so they can perform work. Second, it provides a framework for starting, executing, and monitoring work (typically a parallel job such as MPI
) on a set of allocated nodes. Finally, it arbitrates contention for resources by managing a queue of pending jobs.
SLURM is the batch system on many of the TOP500
supercomputers, including the second fastest one in the world, China's Tianhe-1. SLURM is designed to handle thousands of nodes in a single cluster and can sustain throughput of 120,000 jobs per hour.
, SchedMD, Linux NetworX, Hewlett-Packard
, and Groupe Bull
as an open Source resource manager. It has since evolved into a sophisticated batch scheduler capable of satisfying the requirements of many large computer centers. SLURM is currently used on many of the largest computers in the world.
, Maui Cluster Scheduler
, and Platform LSF.
s:
SLURM also supports several unique computer architectures including:
Job scheduler
A job scheduler is a software application that is in charge of unattended background executions, commonly known for historical reasons as batch processing....
used by many of the world's supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s and computer clusters. It provides three key functions. First it allocates exclusive and/or non-exclusive access to resources (computer nodes) to users for some duration of time so they can perform work. Second, it provides a framework for starting, executing, and monitoring work (typically a parallel job such as MPI
Message Passing Interface
Message Passing Interface is a standardized and portable message-passing system designed by a group of researchers from academia and industry to function on a wide variety of parallel computers...
) on a set of allocated nodes. Finally, it arbitrates contention for resources by managing a queue of pending jobs.
SLURM is the batch system on many of the TOP500
TOP500
The TOP500 project ranks and details the 500 most powerful known computer systems in the world. The project was started in 1993 and publishes an updated list of the supercomputers twice a year...
supercomputers, including the second fastest one in the world, China's Tianhe-1. SLURM is designed to handle thousands of nodes in a single cluster and can sustain throughput of 120,000 jobs per hour.
History
SLURM began development as a collaborative effort primarily by Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
, SchedMD, Linux NetworX, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, and Groupe Bull
Groupe Bull
-External links:* * — Friends, co-workers and former employees of Bull and Honeywell* *...
as an open Source resource manager. It has since evolved into a sophisticated batch scheduler capable of satisfying the requirements of many large computer centers. SLURM is currently used on many of the largest computers in the world.
Structure
SLURM's design is very modular with dozens of optional plugins. In its simplest configuration, it can be installed and configured in a couple of minutes. More sophisticated configurations provide database integration for accounting, management of resource limits and workload prioritization. SLURM also works with several meta-schedulers such as Moab Cluster SuiteMoab Cluster Suite
The Moab Cluster Suite is a cluster workload management package, available from Adaptive Computing, Inc., that integrates the scheduling, managing, monitoring and reporting of cluster workloads. Moab Cluster Suite simplifies and unifies management across one or multiple hardware, operating system,...
, Maui Cluster Scheduler
Maui Cluster Scheduler
Maui Cluster Scheduler is a job scheduler for use on clusters and supercomputers initially developed by Cluster Resources, Inc.. Maui is capable of supporting multiple scheduling policies, dynamic priorities, reservations, and fairshare capabilities...
, and Platform LSF.
Supported platforms
While SLURM was originally written for Linux, the latest version supports many other operating systemOperating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s:
- AIXAIX operating systemAIX AIX AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive, pronounced "a i ex" is a series of proprietary Unix operating systems developed and sold by IBM for several of its computer platforms...
- BSD - FreeBSDFreeBSDFreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
, NetBSDNetBSDNetBSD is a freely available open source version of the Berkeley Software Distribution Unix operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design,...
, OpenBSDOpenBSDOpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995... - LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
- Solaris
SLURM also supports several unique computer architectures including:
- IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
BlueGene L, P and Q models including the 20 petaflop IBM SequoiaIBM SequoiaSequoia is a petascale Blue Gene/Q supercomputer being constructed by IBM for the National Nuclear Security Administration as part of the Advanced Simulation and Computing Program... - CrayCrayCray Inc. is an American supercomputer manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. The company's predecessor, Cray Research, Inc. , was founded in 1972 by computer designer Seymour Cray. Seymour Cray went on to form the spin-off Cray Computer Corporation , in 1989, which went bankrupt in 1995,...
XT and XE - Tianhe-IA