HPC R Examples

Note

This branch contains slurm files specific to the Great Lakes.

Check branches for other HPC Clusters or environments

Summary

This repository provides example R and SLURM scripts demonstrating several methods for running bootstrap analyses on an HPC cluster. The examples range from basic single-core jobs to parallel and array-based workflows, including automated result combination.

Folder Structure & Scripts

• simple/: Basic single-core bootstrap example

  • bs_simple.R: R script for bootstrap analysis
  • bs_simple.slurm: SLURM script to submit the job

• parallel/: Multi-core parallel bootstrap example

  • bs_parallel.R: Uses the parallelly and parallel R packages to distribute work across available cores
  • bs_parallel.slurm: SLURM script to request multiple cores

• array/: Job array example for distributing bootstrap tasks

  • bs_array.R: R script that runs a portion of the bootstrap, using SLURM array task IDs
  • bs_array.slurm: SLURM array job script
  • combine/: Combine results from array jobs
    • combine_csv.R: R script to merge CSV outputs from all array jobs
    • combine_csv.slurm: SLURM script to run the combine step
  • read_from_csv/: Example of a SLURM array job where each task reads parameters from a CSV file
    • vars_from_csv.R: Sample R script that processes parameters from a CSV file
    • vars_from_csv.slurm: SLURM batch script that reads CSV parameters for each array task
    • params.csv: Example CSV file with parameter sets
    • README.md: Details on using CSV input with SLURM array jobs

• workflow/: Workflow automation

  • array_workflow.sh: Bash script to submit the array job and then the combine job with dependency handling
  • README.md: Details on the workflow usage

Example Job Types

Job Type	Definition
simple	A simple R and SLURM script that shows how to run your code on the cluster with no frills.
parallel	How to run the same simple job, but use multiple cores to split up the work.
array	Split the simple job into a job array, spreading the work across multiple CPUs running in parallel
workflow	Automate running the array and combine jobs in sequence, ensuring results are merged after all tasks complete

Usage

Tip

The parallel and combine examples will use the UMICH CRAN mirror to install required R packages if not already installed.

1. Connect to a terminal session on greatlakes.arc-ts.umich.edu
2. cd into the desired directory
3. git clone this repository
4. cd into one of the example folders (e.g., simple, parallel, array)
5. Update .slurm files with the appropriate SLURM account:
   • find . -type f -name "*.slurm" -exec sed -i 's/SLURM_ACCOUNT/your_account_here/g' {} +
6. Submit a job: sbatch bs_EXAMPLE.slurm (replace EXAMPLE with the appropriate name)
7. Use sq to view your job queue
8. Once complete, use my_job_statistics JOB_ID (replace JOB_ID with your job's ID)

Workflow Automation

To automate running the array and combine jobs:

cd workflow
bash array_workflow.sh

This will submit the array job, then automatically submit the combine job after all array tasks finish. See workflow/README.md for more details.

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For more information on each example, see the README files in the respective subfolders.