Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of managing communication between endpoint processing units (EPUs) connected through a network having multiple forwarding elements, each of which has a data plane circuit to forward data messages exchanged between EPUs and a control plane circuit to configure the data plane circuit. The method assigns, for each particular EPU, one particular CP circuit of one forwarding element to operate as a leader CP circuit to configure the network interface of the particular EPU to forward data messages through the network. The method distributes configuration data to the CP circuits of the forwarding elements. Each particular CP circuit uses its received configuration data to instruct the network interfaces of each particular EPU for which the CP circuit is a leader to perform the desired forwarding operations to forward results of computations of the particular EPUs through the network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of executing a distributed application with multiple endpoint processing units (EPUs) that perform computations for the distributed application. At a set of one or more scheduling servers, the method receives multiple API (application programming interface) commands related to computations assigned to a set of EPUs. The method generates, based on the API commands, different sets of scheduling parameters for different sets of computations assigned to the EPUs. The method distributes the generated sets of scheduling parameters to multiple network elements of a network that communicatively couples the set of EPUs. The distributed sets of scheduling parameters control the network elements forwarding of results of the assigned EPU computations through the network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of forwarding data messages between endpoint processing units (EPUs) that are connected through a network and that perform computations to collectively execute a distributed application. The method generates, for each computation of each source EPU, a data message flow including one or more data messages that store a result of the computation. The generation includes specifying for each data message a header including (i) a tag that is not a network address and that is used for forwarding the data message through the network and (ii) one or more fields storing one or more transport layer protocol (TLP) parameters. The method uses the TLP parameters as layer 4 (L4) parameters to establish forwarding of each data message flow between the source EPU and the destination for the flow.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of managing communication between EPUs connected through a network having multiple forwarding elements. At a set of configuration servers, the method assigns, for each EPU, a CP proxy server to configure the network interface of the EPU to forward data messages through the network. The method distributes configuration data to CP proxy servers. Each particular CP proxy server (i) through one or more forwarding elements and from the network interface of each EPU assigned to the particular CP proxy server, receives requests for scheduling parameters for a data message flow that the network interface has to forward through the network, (ii) uses the received configuration data to generate the scheduling parameters for each EPU, and (iii) provides, through one or more forwarding elements, the generated scheduling parameters to the network interface of each EPU to use to forward the data message flow through the network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of executing a distributed application with multiple endpoint processing units (EPUs) that perform computations for the distributed application. The EPUs are connected through a network having multiple network elements. The method iteratively provides instructions to the EPUs to perform computations associated with the distributed application. The method stores a result of each EPU computation at the EPU until the result has been forwarded to a destination in the network and a confirmation has been received that the result has successfully been received at its destination in the network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system for executing a distributed application. The system includes multiple clusters of EPUs that perform computations that are associated with the execution of the distributed application. Each EPU has one or more EPIs. For each cluster of EPUs, the system includes a set of intra-cluster switches each of which connects to multiple EPIs of two or more EPUs in the cluster in order to connect the EPUs in the cluster of EPUs. The system includes a set of two or more inter cluster switches each of which connects at least two intra-cluster switches of two different clusters of EPUs. The inter-cluster and intra-cluster switches form a network. Each of one or more EPIs performs a multi-pathing operation that forwards a result of a computation performed by the EPI's EPU to a destination along two or more paths through the network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of executing a distributed application with multiple EPUs that perform computations for the application. The EPUs are connected through a network having network elements. The method iteratively provides instructions to the EPUs to perform computations associated with the application. The method configures each EPU to store results of the computations performed by the EPU in a memory connected to the network. Computation results of at least two different EPUs are stored in at least two different memories connected to the network. The method configures, for each computation result in memory, at least one network element associated with the EPU to determine, based on a set of metrics that are defined to avoid creating congestion in the network, whether the result should be forwarded through the network and to forward the result through the network only after determining that the result should be forwarded.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method of managing communication between graphics processing units (GPUs) through a network having multiple forwarding elements. The method uses a set of servers to generate instructions for specifying forwarding behaviors for the forwarding elements to forward data messages containing results of computations performed by the GPUs. The GPUs perform the computations in order to collectively execute a distributed application. The method distributes the generated instructions to the forwarding elements to configure the forwarding elements to implement the forwarding behavior.