Microsoft® Windows® Compute Cluster Server 2003 Beta 2 Release Notes

# Compute Cluster Server 2003 Release Notes

Welcome to the release notes for Beta 2 version of Microsoft® Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003. These release notes contain important information that was not available when the product documentation was written. These notes will assist in the proper installation and use of this product.

Important
The performance of Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 Beta 2 is not representative of the performance of the final product. When testing this product, keep in mind that performance tuning and enhancements are still in progress.

These release notes cover:

Installation and Use of Compute Cluster Pack SDK Restricted to Local Administrators

Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack SDK Documentation Is Not Shipped with the Beta 2 Version of This Product

MMC 3.0 RC1 Is Not Supported by Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack Beta 2

MMC 3.0 RC0 Pre-Release Snap-in Will Not Load

Managed Code Run Time Error

ICS Hotfix Needed for Cluster Domain Controllers

ICS/NAT is Required on Most Network Topologies

Client Utilities Installed on Head Node By Default

Do Not Enable Firewall for Private Network

Limitations on Remote Administration of Compute Cluster

Change in MPI Traffic Assignment from Beta 1

Use Add Task in UI to Add Task to Running Job

Cannot Add Dependent Task With Same Name as Submitted Task

Job Manager Cannot Accept Changes to Running Jobs -- Only Through the CLI

Command "cluscfg setparams" Has a New Parameter

MPI Does Not Yet Support Running Multiple Executables From Single Command

"Order" Field in the Job Queue Pane Is Not Used

Field Missing from CLI "task view" Command Output

# Installation and Use of Compute Cluster Pack SDK Restricted to Local Administrators

The Compute Cluster Pack SDK can only be installed by a local or domain administrator and can only be used by a developer logged in as a local or domain administrator.

# Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack SDK Documentation Is Not Shipped with the Beta 2 Version of This Product

Documentation for the Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack SDK is not shipped with the Beta 2 version of this product. This SDK will be available from the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=55873) by November 15, 2005.

# MMC 3.0 RC1 Is Not Supported by Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack Beta 2

The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in (called the Cluster Administrator) that is used in conjunction with the Compute Cluster Pack is incompatible with MMC 3.0 RC1. You must use MMC 3.0 RC0 Pre-Release linked to during Compute Cluster Pack setup, which is available from the Microsoft Download Center (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=55165).

# MMC 3.0 RC0 Pre-Release Snap-in Will Not Load

There is a known issue that with certain installations, the MMC 3.0 Console will fail to load. If this occurs, delete the following file:

\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\MMC\ccpmanagement.msc

You should now be able to open the MMC console.

# Managed Code Run Time Error

There is a known issue with managed code applications that are compiled with the /platform:x64 option. These applications will not run, and may give an invalid license error. A fix for this issue is currently being developed but is not yet available. At this time, compile any applications using the /platform:anycpu option instead. This will allow the applications to run.

# ICS Hotfix Needed for Cluster Domain Controllers

This is a Microsoft Support link to the ICS Hotfix Q897616 at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=52359. This Knowledge Base article describes an issue that occurs when the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) hotfix has not been installed on a cluster domain controller (usually the head node).

Compute Cluster Pack setup requires this hotfix and will force installation of the hotfix during setup if the head node is a domain controller.

# ICS/NAT is Required on Most Network Topologies

You must enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on all network topologies except Scenario 5 (no private cluster network). The network address translation feature of Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) is required on the head node in Beta 2.

# Client Utilities Installed on Head Node by Default

Compute Cluster Pack setup automatically installs all client utilities on the head node.

# Do Not Enable Firewall for Private Network

If you have enabled firewall services for the private network adapter of the head node, communication between the head node and compute nodes on the cluster may fail. Because PXE boot fails in this case, the automated method of adding compute nodes (using Remote Installation Services) will fail. The Compute Cluster Administrator does not notify you that the automated method has failed.

# Limitations on Remote Administration of Compute Cluster

There are limitations to the operations that you can perform when administering a cluster from a remote workstation. The actions you cannot perform from a remote workstation include:

#### From a Remote Workstation, You Cannot:

- Run System Monitor from the Compute Cluster Administrator to compute nodes in those network topologies where there is no public network interface to the compute nodes (supported network topologies 1 and 3).
- Create a remote desktop session directly to a compute node in those network topologies where there is no public network interface to the compute nodes (supported network topologies 1 and 3). In these topologies, creating a remote desktop session is a two-step process: first the administrator can create a remote session to the cluster head node, and then from the head node create a remote session to the compute node.
- Reboot a compute node.
- Install or uninstall Remote Installation Services (RIS) on the head node.
- Add or remove RIS installation images.
- Use the automated method (RIS) of adding compute nodes to the cluster.

# Change in MPI Traffic Assignment From Beta 1

Beta 1 Release Notes cautioned that the Compute Cluster Pack setup failed to route MPI traffic to the MPI network, if an MPI network was specified ("Setting a Specific Network for MPI Traffic"). The workaround required setting the environment variable MPICH_NETMASK.

In the Beta 2 version of the Compute Cluster Pack, MPI traffic is correctly configured to be sent over the MPI network if you specified an MPI network during setup. As a result, there is no need to set the environment variable MPICH_NETMASK.

# Use Add Task in UI to Add Task to Running Job

If you attempt to add a task to a running job by left-clicking the job in the Job Manager queue, then adding the task through the Job Properties screen, the task will not be submitted. To add a task to a running job, right-click the job in the job queue and select Add Task… from the drop-down menu. This will bring up the Task Properties screen, where you can add the task directly.

# Cannot Add Dependent Task With Same Name as Submitted Task

A task can always be added to a submitted job. Also, since task names do not need to be unique within a job, the added task can take the same name as one or more tasks already submitted. It is also possible to add tasks and make them dependent on tasks that have already been submitted. It is not always possible to do all these things in combination, however. Specifically, the following scenario will not work:

1. A task, task1, is added to a job that already contains one or more tasks named task1.
2. Another task, task2, is added and made dependent on task1 (meaning all tasks named task1).

Instead of becoming dependent on all instances of task1, task2 will in fact become dependent only on the newly added task1.

This scenario is most likely to occur when task1 is the common name of a set of tasks in a parametric sweep and task2 is a task that depends on the sweep being completed. In this case, task2 could be added, with that dependency. But if an additional task1 is added at the same time, broadening the sweep, then the dependency of task2 attaches only to the new instance of task1.

# Job Manager Cannot Accept Changes to Running Jobs —Only Through the CLI

A running job can accept changes to certain properties: these are /runtime:, /rununtilcanceled:, and /projectname: However, these changes currently cannot be made through the Job Scheduler. They must be made using the Command Line Interface (CLI). Examples:

Job modify /id:32 /runtime:0:1

Job modify /id:32 /rununtilcancelled:true

Job modify /id:32 /projectname myproject2

# Command "cluscfg setparams" Has a New Parameter for Setting Event Log Levels

The CLI command cluscfg params has a new parameter, eventloglevel, for setting the level of Job Scheduler events that appear in the Event Viewer. Syntax is:

cluscfg params eventloglevel=1|2|3

The event log levels are:

###

ActivityTracing | Allows the Stop, Start, Suspend, Transfer, and Resume events to be displayed.
All | Allows all events to be displayed.
Critical | Allows only Critical events to be displayed.
Error | Allows Critical and Error events to be displayed.
Information | Allows Critical, Error, Warning, and Information events to be displayed.
Off | Does not allow any events to be displayed.
Verbose | Allows Critical, Error, Warning, Information, and Verbose events to be displayed.
Warning | Allows Critical, Error, and Warning events to be displayed.
All | Allows all events to be displayed h.

The default event log level is Error.

# MPI Does Not Yet Support Running Multiple Executables From a Single "mpiexec" Command

An mpiexec command of this type:

mpiexec -hosts 2 node1 node2 myapp1.exe : -hosts 2 node3 node4 myapp2.exe

which runs multiple applications with a single call to mpiexec (note the use of the : delimiter) may result in each application being run twice, causing more processes to run than expected. Depending on the design of your applications, this may cause your applications to fail. Use of the equivalent syntax by means of the –configfile option contains the same risk.

# "Order" Field in the Job Queue Pane Is Not Used

The Order field in the Job Queue pane of the Job Manager is an empty field and will be removed from the product after the Beta 2 release. You can hide this field by right-clicking anywhere in the upper pane, selecting Add/Remove columns, and following the directions on the pop-up window.

# Field Missing from CLI "task view" Command Output

The following field is missing from the task view command output as described in the Command Line Interface (CLI) Reference in the product documentation:

###

Field | Description
--- | ---
{Node, PROCESS IDS} pairs | For each node, display the processes created on the node.