Installing and Configuring SAS Grid Manager Client Utility :: Grid Computing in SAS(R) 9.3, Second Edition

Installation Overview

The SAS Grid Manager Client Utility enables users to submit SAS programs to a grid for processing without requiring SAS to be installed on the machine performing the submission. Platform LSF must be installed on any machine on which the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility runs.

The SAS Grid Manager Client Utility is automatically installed and configured using the SAS Deployment Wizard if the utility is in the plan file.

Installation Prerequisites

The configuration for the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility assumes that all of the following actions have been performed:

The grid control server has already been installed. The configuration must retrieve the logical grid server definition from metadata.
The user name under which jobs are submitted is defined in metadata. If not, jobs submitted to the grid fail.

Configuring the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility

The amount of user input that is required during the installation and configuration process depends on whether you chose an Express, Typical, or Custom install. For information about running the SAS Deployment Wizard, see SAS Deployment Wizard User's Guide.

The SAS Grid Manager Client Utility: Options page enables you to specify the user credentials used to connect to the SAS Metadata Server, the method for transferring files to and from the grid (either through a shared file system or remote copy), and the path to a SAS license file that contains a SAS Grid Manager license (only shown during a custom installation). By default, the metadata is searched for the SAS license file.

Grid Manager Client Utility: Options Page
If you choose to use remote copy (also known as staging) to transfer files to and from the grid, the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility: Staged File Options page is displayed. This page enables you to specify the path to the directory used to stage files moving into and out of the grid, the staging host, and the path to the staging directory as seen by the staging host.

SAS Grid Manager Client Utility: Staged File Options Page

If you choose to use a shared directory to copy files to and from the grid, the SAS Grid Manager: Shared Directory Options page appears. This page enables you to specify the grid shared directory on the grid control server.

SAS Grid Manager Client Utility: Shared Directory Options Page

Using the SASGSUB Configuration File

Most of the options that are used by the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility are contained in the sasgsub.cfg file, which is automatically created by the SAS Deployment Wizard. These options specify the information that the SAS Grid Manager Client Utility uses every time it runs. The sasgsub.cfg file is located in the Applications/SASGridManagerClientUtility/<version> directory of the configuration directory. The following information from the SAS Deployment Wizard is collected in the sasgsub.cfg file:

information to connect to the SAS Metadata Server (SAS Metadata Server name, port, user ID, and password). By default, the metadata password value is set to _PROMPT_, and the user is prompted for a password.
the path used to store files used by the grid. If you are using a shared file system, then this is the path to the shared file system. If you are staging files, this is the location where grid clients store files that are retrieved by the grid.
the name of the SAS Application Server that contains the logical grid server definition.