Parallelization

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By default, each function step is executed just after the previous one is fully completed. If you would like to execute any steps on parallel you have to add an extra parameter called prerequisites. This parameters will identify the dependent id, i.e. the id of the previous step which has to be completed before executing this step.

Here you can see an example which tries to illustrate how to create a parallel step:

  bestVolumesStepId = self._insertFunctionStep("getBestVolumes")

  deps = [] # Store all steps ids, final step createOutput depends on all of them

  # Refine the best volumes
  for n in range(self.numVolumes.get()):
      fnBase = 'proposedVolume%05d' % n
      fnRoot = self._getPath(fnBase)

      # Simulated annealing
      self._insertFunctionStep('reconstruct', fnRoot, prerequisites=[bestVolumesStepId])
      # Make estimation steps independent

getBestVolumes is executed just after the previous step is completed. On the other hand, reconstruct is executed numVolumes times. All these executions are performed on parallel because they only depend on bestVolumesStepId (id of the getBestVolumes function). If we do not provide the prerequisites parameter, each reconstruct execution would depend on the previous reconstruct execution and therefore they would not be executed in parallel.

TO DO: mention how to use something like this is in _defineParams:

form.addParallelSection(threads=0, mpi=4)