Marketplace SLURM Partitions and Software Catalogs

This guide covers SLURM partition configuration and their integration with software catalogs in Waldur's marketplace.

Overview

SLURM partitions represent compute partitions in a cluster that can be associated with marketplace offerings. They define resource limits, scheduling policies, access controls, and optionally link to software catalogs for partition-specific software availability.

SLURM Partition Model

The OfferingPartition model maps closely to SLURM's partition_info_t struct and includes comprehensive configuration options for HPC environments.

Partition Parameters

Architecture

cpu_arch: CPU architecture of the partition (e.g., x86_64/amd/zen3)
gpu_arch: GPU architecture of the partition (e.g., nvidia/cc90, amd/gfx90a)

CPU Configuration

cpu_bind: Default task binding policy (SLURM cpu_bind)
def_cpu_per_gpu: Default CPUs allocated per GPU
max_cpus_per_node: Maximum allocated CPUs per node
max_cpus_per_socket: Maximum allocated CPUs per socket

Memory Configuration (in MB)

def_mem_per_cpu: Default memory per CPU
def_mem_per_gpu: Default memory per GPU
def_mem_per_node: Default memory per node
max_mem_per_cpu: Maximum memory per CPU
max_mem_per_node: Maximum memory per node

Time Limits

default_time: Default time limit in minutes
max_time: Maximum time limit in minutes
grace_time: Preemption grace time in seconds

Node Configuration

max_nodes: Maximum nodes per job
min_nodes: Minimum nodes per job
exclusive_topo: Exclusive topology access required
exclusive_user: Exclusive user access required

Scheduling Configuration

priority_tier: Priority tier for scheduling and preemption
qos: Quality of Service (QOS) name
req_resv: Require reservation for job allocation

Partition Management API

Available Endpoints

Partition management is handled through offering actions, similar to software catalog management:

add_partition: Add a new partition to an offering
update_partition: Update partition configuration
remove_partition: Remove a partition from an offering

Add Partition to Offering

# Add partition to offering
curl -X POST "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/add_partition/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "partition_name": "gpu-partition",
    "cpu_arch": "x86_64/amd/zen3",
    "gpu_arch": "nvidia/cc90",
    "max_cpus_per_node": 64,
    "max_mem_per_node": 512000,
    "max_time": 2880,
    "default_time": 60,
    "qos": "gpu",
    "priority_tier": 1
  }'

Update Partition Configuration

# Update partition configuration
curl -X PATCH "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/update_partition/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "partition_uuid": "partition-uuid",
    "max_time": 4320,
    "priority_tier": 2
  }'

Remove Partition from Offering

# Remove partition from offering
curl -X POST "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/remove_partition/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "partition_uuid": "partition-uuid"
  }'

Partition Software Catalog Associations

Software catalogs can be optionally associated with specific partitions through the partition field in OfferingSoftwareCatalog. This enables partition-specific software availability, allowing different partitions to expose different software sets.

Associating Software Catalogs with Partitions

# Add software catalog to specific partition
curl -X POST "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/add_software_catalog/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "catalog": "catalog-uuid",
    "enabled_cpu_family": ["x86_64"],
    "enabled_cpu_microarchitectures": ["generic"],
    "partition": "partition-uuid"
  }'

Use Cases for Partition-Specific Software

Architecture-Specific Partitions: GPU partitions with CUDA libraries, ARM partitions with ARM-optimized software
License Management: Commercial software available only on specific partitions
Performance Optimization: Different optimized builds for different hardware configurations
Access Control: Research groups with access to specialized software on designated partitions

Example Workflow

Here's a complete example of setting up a GPU partition with specialized software:

# 1. Add GPU partition
curl -X POST "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/add_partition/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "partition_name": "gpu-v100",
    "cpu_arch": "x86_64/intel/skylake_avx512",
    "gpu_arch": "nvidia/cc70",
    "max_cpus_per_node": 40,
    "def_cpu_per_gpu": 4,
    "max_mem_per_node": 384000,
    "max_time": 2880,
    "default_time": 120,
    "qos": "gpu",
    "priority_tier": 1,
    "exclusive_user": true
  }'

# 2. Associate CUDA software catalog with GPU partition
curl -X POST "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-provider-offerings/{offering_uuid}/add_software_catalog/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "catalog": "cuda-catalog-uuid",
    "enabled_cpu_family": ["x86_64"],
    "enabled_cpu_microarchitectures": ["skylake_avx512"],
    "partition": "gpu-partition-uuid"
  }'

Partition Architecture Filtering

Partitions can be filtered by their CPU and GPU architecture fields, enabling users to find partitions matching specific hardware requirements.

Available Filters

Filter	Type	Description
`cpu_arch`	string (icontains)	Filter by CPU architecture substring (e.g., `zen3`, `x86_64`)
`gpu_arch`	string (icontains)	Filter by GPU architecture substring (e.g., `nvidia`, `cc90`)
`has_gpu`	boolean	Filter partitions with (`true`) or without (`false`) GPU architecture

Examples

# Find partitions with AMD Zen3 CPUs
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-offering-partitions/?cpu_arch=zen3"

# Find partitions with NVIDIA GPUs
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-offering-partitions/?gpu_arch=nvidia"

# Find all GPU-equipped partitions
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-offering-partitions/?has_gpu=true"

# Find CPU-only partitions
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-offering-partitions/?has_gpu=false"

Connecting Software to Partitions

The gpu_arch field on partitions and the gpu_architectures field on software targets enable matching software to compatible hardware. For example, to find which partitions can run software requiring nvidia/cc90:

# 1. Find software targets requiring nvidia/cc90
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-software-targets/?gpu_arch=nvidia/cc90"

# 2. Find partitions providing nvidia/cc90
curl "https://your-waldur.example.com/api/marketplace-offering-partitions/?gpu_arch=nvidia/cc90"

Integration Considerations

SLURM Configuration Mapping

When configuring OfferingPartition models, ensure the parameters align with your actual SLURM cluster configuration:

Resource Limits: Set realistic limits that match hardware capabilities
QOS Integration: Ensure QOS names match those defined in SLURM
Time Limits: Align with cluster policies and user expectations
Architecture Targeting: Match CPU families/microarchitectures with actual hardware

Software Catalog Strategy

Consider these approaches when associating software catalogs with partitions:

Global Catalog: Single catalog available across all partitions
Partition-Specific: Different catalogs for different partition types
Hybrid Approach: Base catalog globally + specialized catalogs per partition

Permissions

Partition Management (Offering Managers)

OfferingPartition: Offering managers can create/modify SLURM partition configurations through offering actions
Requires UPDATE_OFFERING permission on the offering

Software Catalog Association (Offering Managers)

OfferingSoftwareCatalog: Offering managers can associate catalogs with partitions through offering actions
Must have UPDATE_OFFERING permission on the offering

Marketplace Software Catalogs - Main software catalog documentation