License Usage for Multi-threaded Processing

There are two types of multi-threaded licenses for Sonnet Suites. The Desktop license which enables up to eight threads of processing at one time and the High Performance license which allows you to use up to 64 threads at a time. It is not uncommon to have both types of licenses available when using floating licenses for multiple users. In this case, the software uses an algorithm whose intention is to make the most efficient use of your licenses. The software always uses the highest thread capacity license as long as it provides a speed advantage. If there is no speed advantage then the lesser capacity license is used. There are some scenarios described below to demonstrate how the algorithm operates.

Scenario 1: You have one Desktop license and one High Performance license and are performing your analysis on a computer with six cores. Since your computer is only capable of processing six threads at a time, there is no speed advantage to using the High Performance license, so the Desktop license is used to run the job. If the Desktop license is not available, then the High Performance license would be used.

Scenario 2:You have one Desktop license and one High Performance license and are performing your analysis on a computer with twelve cores. The software would attempt to use the High Performance license first since this license can utilize all available processing resources and therefore finish the job faster. If the High Performance license is not available, then the Desktop license is used, but this limits the analysis to only six of your cores.

Scenario 3:You have one desktop license and one High Performance license and are performing your analysis on a computer with 24 cores. The software would attempt to use the High Performance license first so that all 24 cores would be used and the analysis would take less time. Only 24 of the possible 48 threads enabled by the license would be used due to the physical limitations of the computer. If the High Performance license is not available, then the Desktop license is used, but this limits the analysis to only six of your cores. Note that in the case of the High Performance license, the extra 24 threads available in the license (total of 48 but you are only using 24) are unused and unavailable to other users while the license is checked out.

It is possible to override this algorithm by using your own settings for multi-threaded license use. There are two ways to do so: using the thread initialization file or the Thread Control dialog box.

The thread initialization file is usually used by a system administrator to set up thread controls for multiple users. The thread initialization file, threadcontrol.ini may be found in the data folder in the Sonnet installation. Select the Admin ⇒ Diagnostics ⇒ Explore Sonnet Data Folder  command from the session tab main menu, then navigate to the Data folder. The fields available in the initialization file are the same as the controls available in the dialog box; see below for details.

The second way to override the algorithm is through the Thread page of the Sonnet Administration dialog box. The settings in this page affect only your analysis jobs. To access the Threads page,  select Admin ⇒ Setup from the main menu in the session tab, then click on Threads in the Sidebar menu of the Sonnet Administration dialog box which appears. See Threads for a detailed explanation of the thread controls.