Customize Behavior of Sample Plugin Scripts

Parallel Computing Toolbox™ uses a set of plugin scripts to define how the client communicates with your third-party scheduler You can modify the behavior of the plugin scripts by setting additional properties for a third-party built-in or generic cluster profile or object using AdditionalProperties.

Additional Properties

The sample plugin scripts allow you to set these properties.

Properties for All Schedulers

Property	Description	Data Type
`AdditionalSubmitArgs`	Additional scheduler arguments for job submission. The sample plugin scripts add the value of this property to the scheduler submission string.	`String`
`AuthenticationMode`	Option to indicate how you are authenticated when you connect to the cluster, specified as one of the following: `"Agent"` – the client interfaces with an SSH agent running on the client machine. SSH Agent authentication does not support keys in PPK format. Only keys in OpenSSH format are supported. `"IdentityFile"` – the client uses the identity file specified by the `IdentityFile` additional property. `"Multifactor"` – the client to prompts you for input one or more times. For example, if two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled on the client, the client requests your password and a response for the second authentication factor. `"Password"` – the client prompts you for your SSH password. Your user name is specified by the `Username` additional property.	`String` `String array`
`ClusterHost`	Host name of the cluster machine that has the scheduler utilities to submit jobs. Use this if your cluster is unable to directly submit jobs to the scheduler. The cluster machine must run Linux.	`String`
`DisplaySubmitArgs`	Option to display the job submission flags and options you pass to the scheduler when you submit a job. The flags and options are displayed on the command line.	`Logical`
`IdentityFile`	Location on the client machine of the SSH identity file that identifies you on the cluster host machine.	`String` `String array`
`IdentityFileHasPassphrase`	Option to use passphrase for identity file. Set this property to `true` if `IdentityFile` requires a passphrase.	`Logical`
`RemoteJobStorageLocation`	Location to store job files on the cluster. Use this property if your client and the cluster nodes do not have a shared file system.	`String`
`SSHPort`	Cluster host port number for SSH connections. Use this property to set the port on the cluster host to connect to via SSH.	`Double`
`UseIdentityFile`	Option to use an identity file. Set this property to `true` if you want to use an SSH identity file to log in to the cluster host machine. If you set this property, then also set `IdentityFile` and `IdentityFileHasPassphrase`.	`Logical`
`Username`	User name to log in to the cluster host machine.	`String`
`UseUniqueSubfolders`	Option to use unique subfolders. Set this property to `true` if you want MATLAB^® to store job files under different subfolders based on the user name and MATLAB version. Doing so helps to prevent conflicts between jobs submitted from different users and MATLAB versions.	`Logical`

Properties Specific to Each Scheduler

Properties for Slurm Only

Properties for LSF Only

Property	Description	Data Type
`MemPerCPU`	Minimum memory required per CPU.	`String`
`Project`	Project to which the scheduler assigns the job.	`String`
`QueueName`	Cluster queue name on which the scheduler runs the job.	`String`
`RequireExclusiveNode`	Option to share nodes with other running jobs. Set this property to `true` if the job cannot share nodes with other running jobs.	`Logical`
`WallTime`	Limit on the total run time of the job.	`String`
`EmailAddress`	Email address that receives notifications from the scheduler.	`String`

Properties for Grid Engine Family Only

Property	Description	Data Type
`AccountName`	Account name under which the scheduler runs the job.	`String`
`MemPerCPU`	Minimum memory required per CPU.	`String`
`Project`	Project to which the scheduler assigns the job.	`String`
`QueueName`	Cluster queue name that runs the job.	`String`
`WallTime`	Limit on the total run time of the job.	`String`
`EmailAddress`	Email address that receives notifications from the scheduler.	`String`

Properties for PBS Only

Property	Description	Data Type
`AccountName`	Account name which the scheduler charges for the resources used.	`String`
`Priority`	Priority of the job relative to other jobs in the cluster.	`Double`
`ProcsPerNode`	Number of processors per node, specified as a finite positive integer scalar. When you submit a job to the cluster, the number of cores per node that MATLAB requests is guaranteed to be less than or equal to `ProcsPerNode`. Set `ProcsPerNode` equal to the maximum number of processors you want MATLAB to request from each cluster node. MATLAB requests the smallest number of cores per node required to run the job. If the `NumThreads` property of the cluster is less than or equal to `ProcsPerNode`, MATLAB requests `NumThreads` processors per worker, then maximizes the number of workers per node. For example if `ProcsPerNode` is `16` and `NumThreads` is `5`, MATLAB requests `15` cores, the largest multiple of `5` that is less than `ProcsPerNode`. If `NumThreads` of the cluster is greater than `ProcsPerNode`, MATLAB requests `ProcsPerNode` processors per node. When `NumThreads` is greater than `ProcsPerNode`, you might encounter performance issues. As a best practice, set `NumThreads` less than or equal to `ProcsPerNode`. For more information, see Edit Number of Workers and Cluster Settings (Parallel Computing Toolbox).	`Positive integer scalar`
`QueueName`	Cluster queue or server name that runs the job.	`String`
`WallTime`	Limit on the total run time of the job.	`String`
`EmailAddress`	Email address that receives notifications from the scheduler.	`String`

Properties for HTCondor Only

Property	Description	Data Type
`AccountingGroup`	Accounting group name under which the scheduler negotiates the job.	`String`
`AccountingGroupUsername`	Username for resource usage accounting.	`String`
`RequestDisk`	Disk space requirements for the job.	`String`
`RequestMemory`	Memory requirements for the job.	`String`
`Priority`	Priority of the job relative to other jobs in the cluster.	`Double`
`Requirements`	Node features required to run the job.	`String`
`EmailAddress`	Email address that receives notifications from the scheduler.	`String`

Properties for AWS Batch Only

Property	Description	Data Type
`IndependentJobDefinition`	Definition of AWS^® Batch job for independent MATLAB jobs.	`String`
`JobQueue`	AWS Batch job queue of the cluster	`String`
`LicenseServer`	Port number and hostname of a machine running a Network License Manager. Specify this property in the format `port@hostname`.	`String`
`S3Bucket`	Amazon S3™ bucket used for data transfer between client and MATLAB workers	`String`

Set Additional Properties

You can set additional properties in the cluster profile, with the Cluster Profile Manager, or programmatically.

Set Properties in Cluster Profile

When you set the additional properties in the cluster profile, the properties apply every time you use the cluster.

In the MATLAB toolstrip, on the Home tab, in the Environment area, select Parallel > Create and Manage Clusters.
In the Cluster Profile Manager, click on the cluster profile that you want to modify.
Click Edit at the bottom-right.
Go to the AdditionalProperties table.
To add a new property, click Add. To modify an existing property, click on the property.

The following image shows an example of setting the AdditionalSubmitArgs additional property on a Slurm cluster profile so that the plugin scripts add a comment to the job.

Cluster Profile Manager with the Slurm profile selected. The properties for the cluster are shown in the right panel. The Additional Properties entry is being edited.

Set Properties Programmatically

You can set additional properties programmatically by accessing the AdditionalProperties of a cluster object. Note that this action does not update the cluster profile and the properties only apply to that particular cluster object. The following is an example of how to set AdditionalSubmitArgs for a Slurm cluster.

First, create a cluster object by using the parcluster function. In the following code, change MySlurmCluster to the name of your cluster profile.

c = parcluster("MySlurmCluster");

Next, set AdditionalSubmitArgs so that the plugin scripts attach a comment to the job.

c.AdditionalProperties.AdditionalSubmitArgs = '--comment="my test job"';

With this change, MATLAB passes the additional arguments to the scheduler when you submit a job. For example, submit a batch job.

job = batch(c,"myScript");

For other examples of modifying the functionality of your plugin scripts at run time using the AdditionalProperties property, see Add User Customization.