InTime Cluster Mode (Linux only)¶
Note
Starting from InTime version 2023.2, users are encouraged to run InTime in a new -cluster mode. "Cluster" mode is InTime's new mechanism for distributing builds that is easier to set up and manage compared to previous methods. Users running InTime on a single server machine can skip this section.
Prerequisites¶
Using InTime in cluster mode requires the following:
-
Cluster mode is supported only in Linux, supporting LSF/PBS/SGE/SLURM or conventional SSH.
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The FPGA vendor tool volume and mount point must be accessible by InTime and all build machines via NFS.
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The project disk volume and mount point must be the same and accessible by InTime and all build machines via NFS.
Warning
If any of the above conditions is not met, cluster mode will not work.
Launch InTime in Cluster mode¶
Pre-requisite: Ensure that the FPGA vendor tool executable is in the PATH environment variable.
Example 1
Launch InTime with Vivado 2023.1 to use SSH in a HPC cluster with host 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3.
$ export LM_LICENSE_FILE=2100@192.168.2.250
$ source /mnt/opt3/Xilinx/2023.1/Vivado/2023.1/settings64.sh
$ cd <intime installation folder>
$ ./intime.sh -ip 192.168.2.3 -comport 39940 -cluster ssh -tc vivado -clusterargs "192.168.1.2 192.168.1.3"
Here is an explanation of the arguments used in the command:
| Arguments | Description |
|---|---|
| ip | This is the InTime Server/License IP address |
| comport | This is the network port required to connect to the server. |
| cluster | This is a mandatory argument when using Cluster mode. Options include lsf, pbs, sge, slurm and ssh. |
| clusterargs | This is an optional argument when using Cluster mode. Options include <queue parameters or hosts list>. |
| tc | FPGA vendor tool type. Options include vivado, quartusii, quartuspp, libero and ise. It will detect the version from the PATH variable. |
-cluster (mandatory)
InTime will fall back to "Agent" mode if the -cluster argument is not supplied.
| Options | Description |
|---|---|
| lsf | Use in a LSF environment. |
| pbs | Use in a PBS environment |
| sge | Use in a SGE environment. |
| slurm | Use in a SLURM environment. |
| ssh | Use in an environment where the user can logon to build machines via SSH. |
-clusterargs (optional) This is an optional argument because users can setup the parameters after InTime has started.
| Options | Description |
|---|---|
| <queue or partition info> | Use in a LSF/PBS/SGE/SLURM/SSH environment. |
After launching InTime in Cluster mode, go to File > Settings... > Run Targets.
In this example, the user has specified 2 build machines with the IP addresses, 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3, using the -clusterargs argument.
Example 2
Launch InTime with Vivado 2023.1 to use SGE in a HPC cluster with queue dev.q.
$ export LM_LICENSE_FILE=2100@192.168.2.250
$ source /mnt/opt3/Xilinx/2023.1/Vivado/2023.1/settings64.sh
$ cd <intime installation folder>
$ ./intime.sh -ip 192.168.2.3 -comport 39940 -cluster sge -tc vivado -clusterargs "-q dev.q"
After launching InTime in Cluster mode, go to File > Settings... > Run Targets.
As shown in the image, SGE has been enabled in the Grid Parameters settings.
