procschema (5)

NAME

procschema - LAM process schema format

SYNTAX

#
# comment
#
<program> [$delay] [$inet_topo] [<arguments>]
<program> [$delay] [$inet_topo] [<arguments>]
 ...

DESCRIPTION

Most LAM/MPI users can disregard this page.

A process schema (once ambiguously called a configuration file) lists the programs that will constitute the LAM environment on a particular node. It drives the operation of hboot(1). LAM system developers will find process schemata very useful for debugging and for generating custom systems. By convention these files begin with the prefix conf.

The default process schema selected by lamboot(1) (conf.lam) contains only one program, the LAM daemon (lamd). A one program process schema makes the whole business of process schemata and hboot(1) rather redundant. LAM can also be run in a de-clustered mode with the daemon reduced to a simple local message-passing server (the "kernel") and several system clients for network message-passing and remote services. This form of LAM is described in the process schema, conf.otb.

The syntax is line oriented. Comments begin with # and terminate with a newline.

Process lines consist of a filename, command line arguments, and possibly options and substitution variables. The command line arguments are passed to the process when it is started. The process options control how the process is started. Currently supported process options are:

$delay

After starting the process, pause before starting the next process.

Substitution variables are set by the tools that interpret the process schema and are a way of customizing the process at runtime. See hboot(1). Currently supported substitution variables are:

$inet_topo

typically, command-line arguments for LAM Internet datalink processes

$rtr_topo

typically, command-line arguments for the LAM network information process

The programs found in the LAM de-clustered mode process schema, conf.otb, are listed below.

bufferd      Creates, kills, sweeps, and states buffers.
bforward     Forward messages; helper for bufferd.
died         Monitors for death of user processes.
dli_inet     UDP/IP incoming connection to other nodes
dlo_inet     UDP/IP outgoing connection to other nodes
echod        Echoes messages; can be used to test nodes and links.
filed        Serves file access.
flatd        Provides symbolic access to node memory.
kenyad       Controls and monitors processes.
kernel       Coordinates local message-passing.
loadd        Loads executable files onto nodes.
router       Maintains network information.
traced       Collects and transports trace data.

Processes are started in the order given in the process schema, and for LAM, the order is important. In particular, the kernel must be first.

EXAMPLE

The de-clustered debug mode LAM process schema is shown below:

##
## The kernel is listed first.
##
kernel $delay

##
## daemons
##
router
kenyad
dli_inet $inet_topo
dlo_inet
bufferd
bforward
loadd
echod
flatd
filed
traced

FILES

$LAMHOME/etc/lam-conf.lamd

default process schema for lamboot(1), where $LAMHOME is the installation directory

$LAMHOME/etc/lam-conf.separate

default process schema for hboot(1)

SEE ALSO

lamboot(1), hboot(1)