Announcing the General Availability of Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm

We are excited to announce the general availability of Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm https://aka.ms/ccw4slurm , a groundbreaking solution template available on the Azure Marketplace. This innovative template allows users to effortlessly create, configure, and deploy pre-defined Slurm clusters with CycleCloud on Azure, all without requiring any prior knowledge of Azure or Slurm.

What is Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm?

Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm is designed to simplify and expedite the deployment of Slurm clusters for High Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads. It comes pre-configured with PMix v4, Pyxis, and enroot to support containerized AI/HPC Slurm jobs. This means users can immediately start running their computationally intensive tasks in a robust and scalable environment.

Key Features

• Ease of Use: Users can deploy the Slurm cluster directly from the Azure Portal or via the Azure CLI, reducing the setup time from days or weeks to just minutes.


• Pre-Configured Environment: The Slurm cluster is pre-configured with essential tools like PMix v4, Pyxis, and enroot, ensuring a seamless experience for containerized workloads.


• Flexible Access: Users can access the provisioned login node using SSH or Visual Studio Code thru Bastion, to perform common tasks such as submitting and managing Slurm jobs.

Advantages Over Traditional Setup

While Azure CycleCloud already offers some deployment capabilities, it doesn’t automatically deploy the AI/HPC infrastructure. Typically, users need to handle tasks such as installing and configuring CycleCloud, setting up the network and storage, and creating and configuring the Slurm cluster. Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm eliminates these steps by automating the entire process through a convenient Marketplace Solution Template. This streamlines the setup process dramatically, allowing users to be operational in mere minutes.

Getting Started

Deploying the Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm is straightforward. Simply navigate to the Azure Marketplace https://aka.ms/try_ccw4slurm , locate the solution template, and follow the deployment instructions. Whether you use the Azure Portal or the Azure CLI, the process is designed to be quick and user-friendly.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Step 1: Navigate to the Azure Marketplace.


• Step 2: Search for “Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm”.


• Step 3: Select the template and follow the deployment instructions.


• Step 4: Once deployed, access the login node via SSH or Visual Studio Code https://aka.ms/ccw4slurm


• Step 5: Begin submitting and managing your Slurm jobs with ease.

Conclusion

The general availability of Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm marks a significant milestone in simplifying HPC and AI workloads on Azure. By providing a pre-configured, easy-to-deploy solution template, we are empowering users to focus on their computational tasks rather than the complexities of infrastructure setup. We invite you to explore and leverage this powerful new tool to enhance your HPC and AI projects.

Stay tuned for more updates and enhancements as we continue to refine and expand our offerings to meet your needs.