Running CPLEX on Finnish Supercomputers: Mahti and Puhti

This tutorial is designed to guide new users on how to install, configure, and run CPLEX optimization models using Python on the Finnish supercomputers: Mahti and Puhti. These supercomputers are provided by the CSC — IT Center for Science, Finland. This tutorial includes instructions for installing CPLEX, setting up Python environments, submitting jobs via Slurm, and checking the status and results. This tutorial shows you how to run the CPLEX models on Mahti. The same can be achieved using the instructions shown in this tutorial for Puhti.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Accessing Mahti or Lahti
3. Installing CPLEX in Your User Space
4. Setting Up a Python Environment for CPLEX
5. Writing and Submitting a Slurm Job Script
6. Monitoring Job Status and Retrieving Results
7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Introduction

IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio is a powerful solver for linear programming (LP), mixed-integer programming (MIP), and quadratic programming (QP). While the Mahti and Lahti supercomputers at CSC do not have a pre-installed CPLEX module, users can install CPLEX in their own space and run large-scale…