We currently save the hostname of a proc when we create the ompi_proc_t for it. This was originally done because the only method we had for discovering the host of a proc was to include that info in the modex, and we had to therefore store it somewhere proc-local. Obviously, this ccarried a memory penalty for storing all those strings, and so we added a "cutoff" parameter so that we wouldn't collect hostnames above a certain number of procs.
Unfortunately, this still results in an 8-byte/proc memory cost as we have a char* pointer in the opal_proc_t that is contained in the ompi_proc_t so that we can store the hostname of the other procs if we fall below the cutoff. At scale, this can consume a fair amount of memory.
With the switch to relying on PMIx, there is no longer a need to cache the proc hostnames. Using the "optional" feature of PMIx_Get, we restrict the retrieval to be purely proc-local - i.e., we retrieve the info either via shared memory or from within the proc-internal hash storage (depending upon the active PMIx components). Thus, the retrieval of a hostname is purely a local operation involving no communication.
All RM's are required to provide a complete hostname map of all procs at startup. Thus, we have full access to all hostnames without including them in a modex or having to cache them on each proc. This allows us to remove the char* pointer from the opal_proc_t, saving us 8-bytes/proc.
Unfortunately, PMIx_Get does not currently support the return of a static pointer to memory. Thus, even though PMIx has the hostname in its memory, it can only return a malloc'd version of it. I have therefore ensured that the return from opal_get_proc_hostname is consistently malloc'd and free'd wherever used. This shouldn't be a burden as the hostname is only used in one of two circumstances:
(a) in an error message
(b) in a verbose output for debugging purposes
Thus, there should be no performance penalty associated with the malloc/free requirement. PMIx will eventually be returning static pointers, and so we can eventually simplify this method and return a "const char*" - but as noted, this really isn't an issue even today.
Signed-off-by: Ralph Castain <rhc@pmix.org>
Properly setup the opal_process_info structure early in the initialization procedure. Define the local hostname right at the beginning of opal_init so all parts of opal can use it. Overlay that during orte_init as the user may choose to remove fqdn and strip prefixes during that time. Setup the job_session_dir and other such info immediately when it becomes available during orte_init.
WHAT: Open our low-level communication infrastructure by moving all necessary components (btl/rcache/allocator/mpool) down in OPAL
All the components required for inter-process communications are currently deeply integrated in the OMPI layer. Several groups/institutions have express interest in having a more generic communication infrastructure, without all the OMPI layer dependencies. This communication layer should be made available at a different software level, available to all layers in the Open MPI software stack. As an example, our ORTE layer could replace the current OOB and instead use the BTL directly, gaining access to more reactive network interfaces than TCP. Similarly, external software libraries could take advantage of our highly optimized AM (active message) communication layer for their own purpose. UTK with support from Sandia, developped a version of Open MPI where the entire communication infrastucture has been moved down to OPAL (btl/rcache/allocator/mpool). Most of the moved components have been updated to match the new schema, with few exceptions (mainly BTLs where I have no way of compiling/testing them). Thus, the completion of this RFC is tied to being able to completing this move for all BTLs. For this we need help from the rest of the Open MPI community, especially those supporting some of the BTLs. A non-exhaustive list of BTLs that qualify here is: mx, portals4, scif, udapl, ugni, usnic.
This commit was SVN r32317.
