42124 - Setting up and calling the %RDCSPAWN macro

Sample 42124: Setting up and calling the %RDCSPAWN macro

Overview

When you run large analysis projects in SAS^® Risk Dimensions^®, you can often improve performance by using the %RDCSPAWN macro. This macro divides your work into subtasks that can run on multiple CPUs.

This sample demonstrates how to set up and use the %RDCSPAWN macro in SAS Risk Dimensions.

About the %RDCSPAWN Macro

The %RDCSPAWN macro uses the MP CONNECT facility in SAS/CONNECT^® software to divide a risk analysis project into subtasks and run them in parallel as independent processes on multiple CPUs. The %RDCSPAWN macro is defined in the rdcspawn.sas file, which is by default stored in the following locations on the SAS Risk Dimensions server:

Windows operating environments: !SASROOT\risk\sasmacro
UNIX operating environments: !SASROOT/sasautos

The %RDCSPAWN macro is provided as a template that you can customize or use as is. For more information about the %RDCSPAWN macro, see the section about the %RDCSPAWN macro in the version of the SAS^® Risk Dimensions^®: Procedures Guide for your release of the software.

Configuring a Spawner for MP CONNECT

To use MP CONNECT, you need to first install, configure, and start a spawner. The following links provide instructions for setting up a spawner:

Instructions for Windows. See also Windows Spawner in Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT^® 9.2 and SAS/SHARE^® 9.2.
Instructions for UNIX. See also UNIX Spawner in Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT^® 9.2 and SAS/SHARE^® 9.2.

Once you have set up and started a spawner, test the sign-on process by submitting SAS code like that shown below for each operating environment.

Under Windows:
options remote=server-ID; signon noscript user=user-ID password=password; listtask _all_; signoff;

Replace the REMOTE=, USER=, and PASSWORD= options with values specific to your environment. When you test the spawner sign-on process, your SAS log should show notes like the following:
```
NOTE: Remote signon to server-ID complete.
"server-ID" --------------
     Type: SAS/CONNECT Process
     State: READY
NOTE: Remote signoff from server-ID commencing.
NOTE: Remote signoff from server-ID complete.
```
Under UNIX:
options comamid=tcp remote=computer-name.port-name; signon noscript user=user-ID password=password; listtask _all_; signoff;

As with the Windows example, enter specific values for the REMOTE=, USER=, and PASSWORD= options.

If you encounter connection errors, you need to resolve the problem so that the %RDCSPAWN macro can run properly. For more information about using the SIGNON and SIGNOFF statements, see Syntax for the SIGNON and the SIGNOFF Statements and Commands in the SAS/CONNECT^® 9.2 User's Guide.

%RDCSPAWN Example That Uses the SampEnv Environment

The Full Code tab contains a sample SAS program that you can use to call the %RDCSPAWN macro in a SAS session on your SAS Risk Dimensions server. Before running the program, make sure that you have performed the following steps:

Install, configure, and start a spawner.
Edit the code with details specific to your installation:

For the ROOT macro variable, specify a file path where you want to store the risk environment files.
Specify the host, port number, number of CPUs, user ID, and password information for the CONNECTDATA= option of the %RDCSPAWN macro. For more details about the CONNECTDATA= option, see the section about the %RDCSPAWN macro in the version of the SAS^® Risk Dimensions^®: Procedures Guide for your release of the software and the comments in the header of the rdcspawn.sas file.

Create a tmpfiles subdirectory in the directory for the ROOT macro variable. Assign Read and Write permissions to the tmpfiles directory for the user that runs the program.
Specify any other options that are needed for your version of the %RDCSPAWN macro. For SAS Risk Dimensions 5.2 and 5.3, see SAS Note 42176, "The %RDCSPAWN macro might not respond when you run it in SAS^® Risk Dimensions^®."

When you run the SAS program that is on the Full Code tab, the results are stored in the ROOT macro variable's subdirectory sampcopy/outspawn.

Analyzing the Results

The sample code on the Full Code tab runs the risk-analysis project both with and without the %RDCSPAWN macro. The results from the project that does not use the %RDCSPAWN macro are stored in the sampcopy/outreg subdirectory in the directory for the ROOT macro variable.

You can then use the COMPARE procedure to compare the spawned results with the non-spawned results. The PROC COMPARE output is located on the Output tab. Notice that the results are exactly the same.

These sample files and code examples are provided by SAS Institute Inc. "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Recipients acknowledge and agree that SAS Institute shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of their use of this material. In addition, SAS Institute will provide no support for the materials contained herein.

Prior to running the following code, you need to make sure:

that a spawner has been started
that the path for the ROOT macro variable and the %RDCSPAWN connect data are specified for your environment
that a tmpfiles subdirectory exists in the directory for the ROOT macro variable and has Read and Write permissions for the user that runs the program

See the Details tab for more information.

/* specify root path for environment files */
%let root=your-directory; 

/* specify connect data that is necessary for the rdcspawn macro */
data work.connectdata;
  length host userid $24 password $64;
  host="server-ID";    * hostname for mp connect processes;
  port=port-number;    * port number for mp connect processes;
  cpus=2;              * number of cpu's for mp connect;
  userid="user-ID";    * userid and password for mp connect;
  password="password";
run;

/* create working environment based on sampenv */
libname rdlib "&root";
proc risk;
  setoptions nobacksave;
  env new=rdlib.sampcopy inherit=risksamp.sampenv;
  env save;
run;

/* run the project using %rdcspawn */
%rdcspawn(       connectData       = work.connectdata,
                 env               = sampcopy,
                 proj              = my_project,
                 port              = firmwide,
                 envLibname        = rdlib,
                 netPathEnv        = "&root",
                 netPathTemp       = "&root/tmpfiles",
                 blocks            = -1,
                 splitby           = states,
                 rpoptions         = out=outspawn);

/* run the project without spawning */
proc risk;
  setoptions nobacksave;
  env open=rdlib.sampcopy;
  runproject my_project out=outreg;
run;

/* compare results between the spawned and non-spawned projects */
libname nospnres "&root/sampcopy/outreg";
libname spawnres "&root/sampcopy/outspawn";
proc compare base=nospnres.allprice_v compare=spawnres.allprice_v;
run;