User guide

3–InfiniBand
®
Cluster Setup and Administration
Performance Settings and Management Tips
3-36 IB0054606-02 A
AUTOMATIC vs. INTERACTIVE MODE
The tool performs different functions when running in automatic mode compared
to running in the interactive mode. The differences include the node type
selection, test execution, and applying the results of the executed tests.
Node Type Selection
The tool is capable of configuring compute nodes or storage nodes (see Compute
Nodes and Storage (Client or Server) Nodes). When the tool is executed in
interactive mode, it will query the user for the type of node. When the tool is
running in automatic mode, it assumes that the node being configured is a
compute node.
Test Execution
The main difference between the two test modes is that some of the tests are
effectively skipped when the tool is in automatic mode. This is done, due to the
fact, that these test do not provide a guaranteed universal performance gain and
therefore, changing driver parameters associated with them requires user
approval. Other tests, where the tool can make a safe determination, are
performed in both modes without any user interaction. Table 3-5 list the test and
describe the mode(s) for each.
Table 3-5. Test Execution Modes
Test Mode
pcie_caps Test is performed in both modes without any user
interaction.
singleport Test is only performed in interactive mode. The user
is queried whether to enable singleport mode.
krcvqs Test is performed in both modes without any user
interaction.
pci_coalesce Test is performed only in interactive mode. The user
is queried whether to enable PCIe coalescing.
cache_bypass_copy Test is performed in both modes without any user
interaction.
num_aware Test is performed in both modes without any user
interaction.
cstates Test is performed in both modes but the user is only
notified of a potential issue if the tool is in interactive
mode. In that case, the tool displays a warning and
a suggestion on how to fix the issue.