Multiprocessing

Library that launches and manages n copies of worker subprocesses either specified by a function or a binary.

For functions, it uses torch.multiprocessing (and therefore python multiprocessing) to spawn/fork worker processes. For binaries it uses python subprocessing.Popen to create worker processes.

Usage 1: Launching two trainers as a function

from torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing import Std, start_processes

def trainer(a, b, c):
    pass # train


# runs two trainers
# LOCAL_RANK=0 trainer(1,2,3)
# LOCAL_RANK=1 trainer(4,5,6)
ctx = start_processes(
        name="trainer",
        entrypoint=trainer,
        args={0: (1,2,3), 1: (4,5,6)},
        envs={0: {"LOCAL_RANK": 0}, 1: {"LOCAL_RANK": 1}},
        log_dir="/tmp/foobar",
        redirects=Std.ALL, # write all worker stdout/stderr to a log file
        tee={0: Std.ERR}, # tee only local rank 0's stderr to console
      )

# waits for all copies of trainer to finish
ctx.wait()

Usage 2: Launching 2 echo workers as a binary

# same as invoking
# echo hello
# echo world > stdout.log
ctx = start_processes(
        name="echo"
        entrypoint="echo",
        log_dir="/tmp/foobar",
        args={0: "hello", 1: "world"},
        redirects={1: Std.OUT},
       )

Just like torch.multiprocessing, the return value of the function start_processes() is a process context (api.PContext). If a function was launched, a api.MultiprocessContext is returned and if a binary was launched a api.SubprocessContext is returned. Both are specific implementations of the parent api.PContext class.

Starting Multiple Workers

torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.start_processes(name, entrypoint, args, envs, log_dir, start_method='spawn', redirects=<Std.NONE: 0>, tee=<Std.NONE: 0>)

Starts n copies of entrypoint processes with the provided options. entrypoint is either a Callable (function) or a str (binary). The number of copies is determined by the number of entries for args and envs arguments, which need to have the same key set.

args and env parameters are the arguments and environment variables to pass down to the entrypoint mapped by the replica index (local rank). All local ranks must be accounted for. That is, the keyset should be {0,1,...,(nprocs-1)}.

Note

When the entrypoint is a binary (str), args can only be strings. If any other type is given, then it is casted to a string representation (e.g. str(arg1)). Furthermore, a binary failure will only write an error.json error file if the main function is annotated with torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.errors.record. For function launches, this is done by default and there is no need to manually annotate with the @record annotation.

redirects and tees are bitmasks specifying which std stream(s) to redirect to a log file in the log_dir. Valid mask values are defined in Std. To redirect/tee only certain local ranks, pass redirects as a map with the key as the local rank to specify the redirect behavior for. Any missing local ranks will default to Std.NONE.

tee acts like the unix “tee” command in that it redirects + prints to console. To avoid worker stdout/stderr from printing to console, use the redirects parameter.

For each process, the log_dir will contain:

1. {local_rank}/error.json: if the process failed, a file with the error info

2. {local_rank}/stdout.json: if redirect & STDOUT == STDOUT

3. {local_rank}/stderr.json: if redirect & STDERR == STDERR

Note

It is expected that the log_dir exists, is empty, and is a directory.

Example:

log_dir = "/tmp/test"

# ok; two copies of foo: foo("bar0"), foo("bar1")
start_processes(
   name="trainer",
   entrypoint=foo,
   args:{0:("bar0",), 1:("bar1",),
   envs:{0:{}, 1:{}},
   log_dir=log_dir
)

# invalid; envs missing for local rank 1
start_processes(
   name="trainer",
   entrypoint=foo,
   args:{0:("bar0",), 1:("bar1",),
   envs:{0:{}},
   log_dir=log_dir
)

# ok; two copies of /usr/bin/touch: touch file1, touch file2
start_processes(
   name="trainer",
   entrypoint="/usr/bin/touch",
   args:{0:("file1",), 1:("file2",),
   envs:{0:{}, 1:{}},
   log_dir=log_dir
 )

# caution; arguments casted to string, runs:
# echo "1" "2" "3" and echo "[1, 2, 3]"
start_processes(
   name="trainer",
   entrypoint="/usr/bin/echo",
   args:{0:(1,2,3), 1:([1,2,3],),
   envs:{0:{}, 1:{}},
   log_dir=log_dir
 )

Parameters

• name – a human readable short name that describes what the processes are (used as header when tee’ing stdout/stderr outputs)

• entrypoint – either a Callable (function) or cmd (binary)

• args – arguments to each replica

• envs – env vars to each replica

• log_dir – directory used to write log files

• nprocs – number of copies to create (one on each process)

• start_method – multiprocessing start method (spawn, fork, forkserver) ignored for binaries

• redirects – which std streams to redirect to a log file

• tees – which std streams to redirect + print to console

Process Context

class torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.api.PContext(name, entrypoint, args, envs, stdouts, stderrs, tee_stdouts, tee_stderrs, error_files)

The base class that standardizes operations over a set of processes that are launched via different mechanisms. The name PContext is intentional to disambiguate with torch.multiprocessing.ProcessContext.

Warning

stdouts and stderrs should ALWAYS be a superset of tee_stdouts and tee_stderrs (respectively) this is b/c tee is implemented as a redirect + tail -f <stdout/stderr.log>

class torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.api.MultiprocessContext(name, entrypoint, args, envs, stdouts, stderrs, tee_stdouts, tee_stderrs, error_files, start_method)

PContext holding worker processes invoked as a function.

class torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.api.SubprocessContext(name, entrypoint, args, envs, stdouts, stderrs, tee_stdouts, tee_stderrs, error_files)

PContext holding worker processes invoked as a binary.

class torch.distributed.elastic.multiprocessing.api.RunProcsResult(return_values=<factory>, failures=<factory>, stdouts=<factory>, stderrs=<factory>)

Results of a completed run of processes started with start_processes(). Returned by PContext.

Note the following:

1. All fields are mapped by local rank

2. return_values - only populated for functions (not the binaries).

3. stdouts - path to stdout.log (empty string if no redirect)

4. stderrs - path to stderr.log (empty string if no redirect)