How to use the command 'slurmd' (with examples)

The ‘slurmd’ command is a part of the Slurm Workload Manager, which is an open-source job scheduler that is commonly used in high-performance computing clusters. The ‘slurmd’ command is responsible for monitoring all tasks running on the compute node, accepting tasks, launching tasks, and killing running tasks upon request.

Use case 1: Report node rebooted when daemon restarted (Used for testing purposes)

Code:

slurmd -b

Motivation: This use case is typically used for testing purposes when the slurmd daemon needs to be restarted. By running this command, it will report the node as rebooted when the daemon is restarted.

Explanation: The ‘-b’ option is used to indicate that the slurmd daemon is being restarted. It creates an entry in the node’s log file, indicating that the node has rebooted.

Example output:

Node Rebooted: slurmd restarted

Use case 2: Run the daemon with the given nodename

Code:

slurmd -N nodename

Motivation: In some scenarios, it might be necessary to specify a custom nodename for the slurmd daemon. This use case allows you to run the daemon with the provided nodename.

Explanation: The ‘-N’ option is used to specify the nodename that the daemon should use. By providing a custom nodename, you can run the slurmd daemon with a specific identifier.

Example output: N/A (The output will depend on the system configuration and the provided nodename.)

Use case 3: Write log messages to the specified file

Code:

slurmd -L path/to/output_file

Motivation: By default, the slurmd daemon writes log messages to the system log file. However, in certain cases, you may want to redirect the log messages to a specific file for easier monitoring and analysis.

Explanation: The ‘-L’ option is used to specify the path to the output log file. By providing the path, the slurmd daemon will write the log messages to the specified file instead of the default system log file.

Example output: N/A (The output will depend on the system configuration and the specified log file.)

Use case 4: Read configuration from the specified file

Code:

slurmd -f path/to/file

Motivation: In some scenarios, you may have a custom configuration file for the slurmd daemon that you want to use instead of the default configuration file. This use case allows you to specify the path to the custom configuration file.

Explanation: The ‘-f’ option is used to specify the path to the configuration file that the slurmd daemon should read. By providing the path, the slurmd daemon will use the specified configuration file instead of the default configuration file.

Example output: N/A (The output will depend on the system configuration and the specified configuration file.)

Use case 5: Display help

Code:

slurmd -h

Motivation: If you need a quick reference or overview of the available options and usage of the slurmd command, this use case allows you to display the help information.

Explanation: The ‘-h’ option is used to display the help information for the slurmd command. It provides a summary of the available command options and their descriptions.

Example output:

usage: slurmd [options]
  --daemonize           run in the background as a daemon
  -d,--debug             increase debug level
  -N,--nodename        specify custom nodename
  -L,--log path           write log messages to the specified path
  -f,--file path               read configuration from the specified file
  -h,--help              display this help message and exit
  ...

Conclusion:

The ‘slurmd’ command is a powerful tool used for managing tasks in a Slurm cluster. It provides various options to control the behavior of the slurmd daemon and allows for customization of the system. By understanding and utilizing the different use cases of the ‘slurmd’ command, system administrators and developers can effectively manage and monitor tasks running on the compute nodes.