GPU Support

Introduction

This section covers the essential information to deploy a node with a GPU. We also provide links to other parts of the manual covering GPU support.

To use a GPU on the TFGrid, users need to rent a dedicated node. Once they have rented a dedicated node equipped with a GPU, users can deploy workloads on their dedicated GPU node.

Filter and Reserve a GPU Node

You can filter and reserve a GPU node using the Dedicated Nodes section of the ThreeFold Dashboard.

Filter Nodes

Filter nodes using the vendor name
- In Filters, select GPU's vendor name
- A new window will appear below named GPU'S VENDOR NAME
  - Write the name of the vendor desired (e.g. nvidia, amd)

Filter nodes using the device name
- In Filters, select GPU's device name
- A new window will appear below named GPU'S DEVICE NAME
  - Write the name of the device desired (e.g. GT218)

Reserve a Node

When you have decided which node to reserve, click on Reserve under the column Actions. Once you've rented a dedicated node that has a GPU, you can deploy GPU workloads.

Deploy a VM with GPU

Now that you've reserverd a dedicated GPU node, it's time to deploy a VM to make use of the GPU! There are many ways to proceed. You can use the Dashboard, Go, Terraform, etc.

For example, deploying a VM with GPU on the Dashboard is easy. Simply set the GPU option and make sure to select your dedicated node, as show here:

Install the GPU Driver

Once you've deployed a VM with GPU, you want to SSH into the VM and install the GPU driver.

SSH to the VM and get your system updated

dpkg --add-architecture i386
apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade
reboot

Find your Driver installer
- AMD driver
- Nvidia driver
You can see the node card details on the ThreeFold Dashboard or by using the following command lines:

lspci | grep VGA
lshw -c video

AMD Driver

Download the GPU driver using wget
- For example: wget https://repo.radeon.com/amdgpu-install/23.30.2/ubuntu/focal/amdgpu-install_5.7.50702-1_all.deb
Install the GPU driver using apt-get. Make sure to update <VERSION>.

apt-get install ./amdgpu-install_<VERSION>.deb
amdgpu-install --usecase="dkms,graphics,opencl,hip,rocm,rocmdev,opencl,hiplibsdk,mllib,mlsdk" --opencl=rocr --vulkan=pro --opengl=mesa