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DTUI2 HPC Environment Deployment Guide

Overview

This guide explains how to deploy and run DTUI2 in High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments, specifically addressing challenges in RedHat 8, NFS filesystems, and environments with shared memory restrictions.

Quick Start

  1. Run HPC Setup:

    ./scripts/hpc-setup.sh

  2. Test Environment:

    ./test-hpc-env.sh

  3. Build for HPC:

    npm run dist:linux

  4. Launch with HPC Settings:

    ./dtui2-hpc.sh

HPC Environment Challenges

1. Shared Memory Limitations

Problem: Many HPC systems restrict /dev/shm access or have very limited shared memory. Solution: DTUI2 can disable Chromium's shared memory usage with --disable-dev-shm-usage flag.

2. SELinux Enforcing Mode

Problem: SELinux policies may prevent Electron/Chromium execution. Solutions:

  • Use --no-sandbox and --disable-setuid-sandbox flags
  • Disable GPU acceleration with --disable-gpu
  • Use software rendering with LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1

3. NFS Filesystem Permissions

Problem: NFS mounts may have restricted permissions for executable files. Solution: Use AppImage format which handles these restrictions automatically.

4. Job Scheduler Environments

Problem: PBS, SLURM, or LSF environments may have additional restrictions. Solution: Automatic detection and appropriate flag configuration.

Configuration

HPC-Specific Configuration

DTUI2 supports HPC-specific configuration in the hpc section:

{
  "hpc": {
    "disableGpu": true,
    "disableShm": true,
    "disableDevShmUsage": true,
    "noSandbox": true,
    "disableSetuidSandbox": true,
    "singleProcess": false,
    "disableFeatures": "VizDisplayCompositor,WebRtc,WebBluetooth"
  }
}

Environment Variables

Override HPC settings using environment variables:

# Disable GPU acceleration
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__disableGpu=true

# Disable sandbox
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__noSandbox=true

# Use custom config file
export DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=/path/to/dtui-hpc.json

Chromium Flags

DTUI2 automatically applies these Chromium flags in HPC mode:

  • --no-sandbox: Disable sandboxing
  • --disable-setuid-sandbox: Disable setuid sandbox
  • --disable-gpu: Disable hardware acceleration
  • --disable-dev-shm-usage: Don't use /dev/shm
  • --disable-software-rasterizer: Disable software rasterizer
  • --disable-features=VizDisplayCompositor,WebRtc,WebBluetooth: Disable problematic features
  • --memory-pressure-off: Disable memory pressure handling
  • --single-process=false: Use multi-process (more stable than single-process)

Deployment Steps

1. Prepare Environment

# Check current environment
./test-hpc-env.sh

# Review output for potential issues

2. Configure for HPC

# Run setup script
./scripts/hpc-setup.sh

# This creates:
# - dtui-hpc.json (HPC-optimized config)
# - dtui2-hpc.sh (HPC launcher script)
# - test-hpc-env.sh (environment tester)

3. Build AppImage

# Build the application
npm run build

# Create AppImage (Linux)
npm run dist:linux

# The AppImage will be in ./release/

4. Deploy to HPC System

# Copy files to HPC system
scp release/DTUI2-*.AppImage user@hpc-system:/path/to/deployment/
scp dtui-hpc.json dtui2-hpc.sh user@hpc-system:/path/to/deployment/

# Make executable on HPC system
chmod +x DTUI2-*.AppImage dtui2-hpc.sh

5. Launch on HPC

# Option 1: Use HPC launcher script
./dtui2-hpc.sh

# Option 2: Direct launch with custom config
export DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=./dtui-hpc.json
./DTUI2-*.AppImage

# Option 3: Environment variable configuration
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__disableGpu=true
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__noSandbox=true
./DTUI2-*.AppImage

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "GPU process isn't usable" Error

# Solution: Force software rendering
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__disableGpu=true

2. "Failed to create /dev/shm/ files" Error

# Solution: Disable shared memory usage
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__disableDevShmUsage=true

3. SELinux Permission Denied

# Check SELinux status
getenforce

# If enforcing, use no-sandbox mode
export DTUI_CFG__hpc__noSandbox=true

4. NFS Permission Issues

# Use AppImage format (handles NFS better)
# Or copy to local temp directory:
cp DTUI2.AppImage $TMPDIR/
$TMPDIR/DTUI2.AppImage

5. X11 Display Issues

# Ensure DISPLAY is set
echo $DISPLAY

# Test X11 connection
xdpyinfo

# If X11 forwarding over SSH:
ssh -X user@hpc-system

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging for troubleshooting:

# Enable Electron logging
export ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING=1
export ELECTRON_LOG_FILE=./dtui2-debug.log

# Launch and check log
./dtui2-hpc.sh
tail -f dtui2-debug.log

Performance Optimization

For HPC environments, consider these optimizations:

{
  "hpc": {
    "disableGpu": true,
    "disableFeatures": "VizDisplayCompositor,TranslateUI,WebRtc,WebBluetooth,MediaRouter",
    "memoryPressureOff": true
  },
  "ai": {
    "shell": {
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

Job Scheduler Integration

PBS/Torque

#!/bin/bash
#PBS -N dtui2-job
#PBS -l nodes=1:ppn=1
#PBS -l walltime=01:00:00

cd $PBS_O_WORKDIR
export DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=$PWD/dtui-hpc.json
./dtui2-hpc.sh

SLURM

#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --job-name=dtui2
#SBATCH --nodes=1
#SBATCH --time=01:00:00

export DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=$PWD/dtui-hpc.json
./dtui2-hpc.sh

LSF

#!/bin/bash
#BSUB -J dtui2
#BSUB -n 1
#BSUB -W 01:00

export DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=$PWD/dtui-hpc.json
./dtui2-hpc.sh

Security Considerations

In HPC environments, DTUI2 runs with reduced security features:

  1. Sandboxing Disabled: Required for compatibility but reduces security isolation
  2. GPU Disabled: Prevents GPU-related security issues
  3. Reduced Feature Set: Disables potentially problematic web features
  4. Local Execution Only: Shell commands run locally, respecting job scheduler limits

Testing

Automated Testing

# Run HPC-specific tests
npm run test:hpc

# Test configuration system
npm run test:config

# Test GUI with HPC settings
DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE=dtui-hpc.json npm run test:gui

Manual Testing Checklist

  • Application starts without errors
  • Configuration loads correctly
  • Shell commands execute properly
  • Output formatting works
  • No GPU-related errors in logs
  • Memory usage stays reasonable
  • Application responds to user input

Support

For HPC-specific issues:

  1. Run ./test-hpc-env.sh and include output
  2. Check dtui2-debug.log for errors
  3. Verify configuration with cat $DTUI_USER_CONFIGFILE
  4. Test basic functionality with minimal config

References