Learn how to use Azure CycleCloud to create, customize, and manage high-performance computing (HPC) clusters in Azure.
By the end of this module, you're able to:
- Install and configure Azure CycleCloud to work with your Azure subscription.
- Integrate a non-Microsoft scheduler.
- Create and deploy a basic HPC cluster on Azure.
Azure CycleCloud templates offer a declarative provisioning model that helps you minimize administrative overhead associated with deploying and maintaining custom HPC environments in Azure.
By the end of this module, you'll know more about how to:
- Customize HPC cluster architecture.
- Customize software and applications that you use with Azure CycleCloud clusters.
Choose the best service level of Azure NetApp Files based on your throughput requirements and including cost considerations.
By the end of this module, you're able to:
- Describe the factors that determine throughput limits of Azure NetApp Files volume.
- Choose the best service level of Azure NetApp Files for HPC applications.
Learn how to improve Azure NetApp Files performance for your EDA and HPC applications by using best practices.
By the end of this module, you're able to:
- List the best practices that improve Azure NetApp Files performance.
- Describe the effect of these Azure NetApp Files performance best practices on FIO and EDA benchmark suites.
Learn how to build, run, and tune tightly coupled HPC applications in Azure.
In this module, you will:
- Choose the best and most cost-efficient HPC SKU for each type of tightly coupled HPC application.
- Optimally build and run each type of tightly coupled HPC application on Azure HPC SKUs.
Troubleshoot tightly coupled HPC applications that are having runtime failures or are underperforming.
In this module, you learn how to:
- Troubleshoot runtime failures for tightly coupled HPC applications.
- Troubleshoot tightly coupled HPC applications that are underperforming.

Syllabus

Create, customize, and manage an HPC cluster in Azure with Azure CycleCloud
- Introduction
- Describe the basics of Azure CycleCloud
- Describe Azure CycleCloud scheduler integration and autoscaling
- Exercise - Install and configure Azure CycleCloud
- Exercise - Create an HPC cluster from built-in templates
- Module assessment
- Summary
Customize high-performance computing clusters deployed with Azure CycleCloud
- Introduction
- Describe Azure CycleCloud cluster templates
- Exercise - Add a disk to an HPC cluster's scheduler node
- Exercise - Add a custom node array to an HPC cluster
- Customize software installations
- Exercise - Create a cloud-init script for use with Azure CycleCloud
- Module assessment
- Summary
Choose the best service level of Azure NetApp Files for your high-performance computing (HPC) applications
- Introduction
- Identify the decision criteria
- Choose your service level
- Module assessment
- Summary
Improve Azure NetApp Files performance for your EDA and HPC applications by using best practices
- Introduction
- Overall performance suggestions
- Mount options and client VM configurations
- Benchmark results
- Module assessment
- Summary
Optimizing tightly coupled HPC applications on HBv2, HC, and HB series virtual machines
- Introduction
- Select the appropriate HPC SKU
- Knowledge check - Select the appropriate HPC SKU
- Process pinning considerations
- Exercise - Find the correct NUMA mapping for an HPC SKU
- Compilers and numerical libraries
- Knowledge check - Select the right compiler and numerical libraries
- Select the right MPI library
- Knowledge check - Select the right MPI library
- Summary
Troubleshoot tightly coupled HPC applications on HBv2, HC, and HB series virtual machines
- Introduction
- Health checks for HPC virtual machines
- Knowledge check
- Debug performance bottlenecks
- Module assessment
- Summary