batch
Perform evaluations in batches
Topics
concurrency_and_parallelism
Specification
Alias: None
Arguments: None
Default: sequential interface usage
Child Keywords:
Required/Optional |
Description of Group |
Dakota Keyword |
Dakota Keyword Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Optional |
Limit the number of evaluations in a batch |
||
Description
When the optional batch keyword is used, Dakota performs
evaluations in batches. In batch mode, Dakota writes the parameters
for multiple (a batch of) evaluations to a single file, invokes
the analysis driver once for the whole batch, and expects
to find results for the entire batch in a single file after
the analysis driver has exited. Batch mode may be useful
when a user desires to take greater control over job management.
For example, the analysis driver can perform the evaluations in
the batch in any sequence or in concurrent sub-batches.
The names of the parameters file and results file are provided as command line arguments to the analysis driver, just as in a conventional, non-batch evaluation. By default, all currently available evaluations will be performed in a single batch, but the batch size can be limited using the interface-batch-size keyword.
Batch mode has a few important limitations.
Only one batch at a time may be executed. Asynchronous execution of multiple concurrent batches is not supported.
No interface-analysis_drivers-input_filter or interface-analysis_drivers-output_filter is permitted.
Only one
analysis_driveris allowed.failure_capturemodes are restricted to interface-failure_capture-abort and interface-failure_capture-recover.
Some of these restrictions may be lifted in future Dakota releases.
File Formats
A batch parameters file written by Dakota is simply a concatenated set of parameters files for the set of evaluations, either in interface-analysis_drivers-fork-aprepro or default Dakota format.
The batch results file is also a concatenated set of results files for the individual evaluations. However, because Dakota’s results file format is not as rich as its parameters file format, evaluations in the batch results file must be separated by a line that begins with the ‘#’ character.
The order of evaluations in the batch results file must match the order in the batch parameters file.
Tagging and Work Directories
When Dakota’s interface-analysis_drivers-fork-work_directory feature is enabled, one directory is created per batch. If interface-analysis_drivers-fork-file_tag or interface-analysis_drivers-fork-work_directory-directory_tag is used, parameters/results files and work directories are tagged with a batch Id, which is an integer that begins with 1 and increments for each new batch.
