Create a new run

This document outlines the step to to create a new run in VESSL AI. A run is a containerized component that encapsulates the configuration for a machine learning task. You can configure a run either through a YAML file or through the web console.

​

Using YAML

Configuring your run through a YAML file offers several advantages:

• Ease of configuration: Simplifies editing everything from resources to volume mounts across various cloud providers.
• Reproducibility: Enables the exact replication of an AI model with a single configuration file.
• Version control: Facilitates easy versioning of the run configuration.

​

Using the VESSL Hub

The VESSL Hub hosts curated, state-of-the-art open source AI models, each paired with a YAML file for easy import. Simply navigate to the model of choice and execute the run with one click. Visit VESSL Hub to get started.

​

Using Command Line Interface (CLI)

Install and set up the VESSL CLI with these commands:

pip install --upgrade vessl
vessl configure

Create a run by specifying the YAML configuration file:

vessl run create -f quickstart.yaml

For beginners, a simple “Hello World” example is recommended.

​

Using the web console

​

Initialize a run with the options

When initializing a run with templates, you can select from three options:

• Template from VESSL Hub: You can import and run the pre-built model from VESSL Hub.
• Recent run configuration: You can import and run the recent run configuration from VESSL Run.
• YAML file: You can import and run the YAML file that stored in your local storage.

​

Template from VESSL Hub

VESSL Run supports the import of use cases and examples in the form of templates from VESSL Hub. These use cases and examples are built using state-of-the-art machine learning models, including audio, image, large language models, and libraries.

By clicking Template from VESSL Hub, you can browse numerous models. This feature allows you to quickly create a run.

​

Recent run configuration

With this feature, you can import the previous YAML file which you’ve created.

​

YAML file

You can import a custom YAML file using this initialization option. Click the Select file button to import your YAML file from local storage. After the upload is complete, you will see your customized YAML file content in the YAML editor on the right side of the page.

​

Metadata

Metadata provides essential information about each run, enhancing organization, searchability, and identification within your project. Setting this accurately is critical to ensure efficient management and easy retrieval of runs.

Here’s what to include:

• Name: Assign a unique and descriptive name to each run. This helps in quickly identifying the purpose of the run across various project stages.
• Description: Provide a concise summary of the run’s objectives, configurations, or any specific notes that would help in understanding its purpose and scope at a glance.
• Tags: Use tags to categorize and filter runs based on key characteristics such as the model type, experiment phase, team, or any other relevant criteria. Tags support efficient sorting and grouping of runs, making them easier to navigate and analyze.

​

Resources

When setting up a run, specifying the appropriate resources is crucial. VESSL supports a hybrid approach, leveraging both cloud-based resources and on-premise servers. Each run is effectively containerized to ensure scalability and flexibility across different environments.

​

Cluster

Select the optimal execution environment for your run by choosing between a VESSL-managed cluster and a custom cluster:

• Managed Cluster: Choose from a list of pre-configured resources available through a dropdown menu, designed to simplify setup and deployment.
• Custom Cluster: For more specific needs, such as utilizing on-premise hardware or particular cloud configurations, specify your custom requirements to tailor the cluster to your needs.

​

Resource

VESSL offers predefined resource specifications for both CPUs and GPUs, which helps in efficiently scaling your application:

• GPU Specs: Choose based on the number of GPUs required:
  • small = 1 GPU
  • medium = 2 GPUs
  • large = 4 GPUs
  • xlarge = 8 GPUs
• Spot Instances: For cost efficiency, especially with larger computational tasks, opt for spot instances. These can be identified by the postfix -spot in the preset name (for example, cpu-small-spot, gpu-l4-small-spot), offering the same resources at a potentially lower cost due to the use of reclaimed capacity.

For custom clusters, you also have the flexibility to define your own specifications, tailoring the resources exactly to your project’s needs.

​

Container Image

Choose between using a VESSL-managed or a custom container image.

• Managed Image: Select from pre-pulled images based on common requirements like NVIDIA GPU Cloud (NGC) images.
• Custom Image: Upload from Docker Hub or Amazon ECR, handling both public and private registries.

​

Task

In a typical setup, a run container functions akin to a batch job, executing a series of predefined commands with associated volumes mounted. Additionally, network settings such as interactivity options and port configurations can be managed within this framework.

​

Volumes

Volumes are integral to data management throughout a machine learning run, facilitating a range of data operations from loading to storage. Below is an outline of how each type of volume can be utilized:

• Import: Import volumes are essential for bringing necessary files into the container at startup. Typical uses include:
  • Code: Pull code from version control systems such as GitHub, GitLab, or BitBucket.
  • Dataset and Model: Retrieve datasets or models defined in VESSL Dataset or VESSL Model.
  • Hugging Face: Fetch datasets or models from Hugging Face repositories.
  • Files: Incorporate files uploaded locally.
  • Object Storage: Download data directly from cloud services like AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage.
• Mount: Mount volumes provide persistent storage solutions, directly attaching to the run container for ongoing data access. They are particularly valuable for:
  • Dataset: Attach datasets predefined in VESSL Dataset for direct use in the container.
  • On-premise Storage: Connect to on-site data storage solutions using Network File System (NFS) or host path configurations.
  • GCS Fuse: Integrate Google Cloud Storage using GCS Fuse for seamless data accessibility. Learn more about GCS Fuse mount.
• Export: Export volumes are used post-run to save outputs like logs, results, and models, essential for continuity and analysis. Common applications include:
  • Dataset and Model: Store output data back to a defined VESSL Dataset.
  • Artifacts:Transfer results or logs to VESSL Artifacts, which are project-specific storage volumes.
  • Object Storage: Save outputs to cloud storage solutions such as AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage.

​

Start commands

Specify the start command to initiate the ML task within the container. You can put multiple commands by using the && command or a new line separation.

​

Interactive

Enable features like Jupyter Notebook and SSH connections for interactive sessions.

​

Port

Configure port settings for protocols (HTTP/TCP), specified port numbers, and descriptive names.

​

Variables

Variables in the context of machine learning runs are crucial for configuring the runtime environment and securing sensitive information. Here’s how environment variables and secrets can be effectively utilized:

​

Environment variables

Environment variables allow you to dynamically set configuration parameters that the container can access at runtime. Common use cases include:

• Hyperparameters: Set values like learning_rate or batch_size directly via environment variables, allowing easy adjustments without modifying the underlying application code.
• Configuration Parameters: Adjust runtime settings such as logging levels or feature toggles based on the deployment environment or specific requirements of the run.

​

Secret

Secrets are used to handle sensitive information that should not be exposed or hardcoded in your application’s code or configuration files. They are securely injected into the run environment and are critical for:

• API Keys: Securely manage access to external services, such as Hugging Face models or cloud resources, by using API keys like HF_TOKEN or cloud provider credentials.
• Authentication Tokens: Handle user or service authentication seamlessly, ensuring that tokens like the Weights & Biases key WANDB_API_KEY remain secure and are not logged or exposed.

​

Advanced settings

​

Service account name

To customize the privileges and permissions of your run container within a Kubernetes cluster, you can specify a Kubernetes service account. Configuring this setting ensures that the run container has the appropriate access controls for interacting with other Kubernetes resources, essential for maintaining security and operational efficiency.

​

Termination protection

Termination protection is a feature designed to preserve the state of a container after the run has completed. Enabling this option allows continued access to the container, facilitating debugging and detailed review of the run’s output. This feature is particularly useful for diagnosing errors or anomalies that occurred during the execution phase.