Thread Subject: How to run an external application on a different computer from MATLAB

I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
me to call an external program to compute my objective
function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to call
and run the application. How can I modify this for multiple
computers.

"Hema " <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote in message
<g393l6$mg0$1@fred.mathworks.com>...
> I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
> me to call an external program to compute my objective
> function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
> external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
> Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to call
> and run the application. How can I modify this for multiple
> computers.


I guess no one replied here. Can I ask another question. Is
there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
run it on a different computer. I think this should solve my
problem

"Hema ":
<SNIP ML isn't good enough...

> Is there a dos command that will allow me to call a
program and run it on a different computer...

a hint:

     help system;
% note: these two run on either system despite their names
     help unix;
     help dos;
% -and-
     help punct; % then look for <!>

us

In article <g3aufl$l7g$1@fred.mathworks.com>,
Hema <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote:

>Is there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
>run it on a different computer.

There is no such command supplied with MS Windows.

If you load in MinGW or AT&T UWin then you would have enough of a
Unix-type environment to be able to use rsh and ssh .

--
  "MAMA: Oh--So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom
   used to be life--now it's money. I guess the world really do change.
   WALTER: No--it was always money, Mama. We just didn't know about it."
                                              -- Lorraine Hansberry

roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson) wrote in
message <g3b4bl$ef2$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>...
> In article <g3aufl$l7g$1@fred.mathworks.com>,
> Hema <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Is there a dos command that will allow me to call a
program and
> >run it on a different computer.
>
> There is no such command supplied with MS Windows.
>
> If you load in MinGW or AT&T UWin then you would have
enough of a
> Unix-type environment to be able to use rsh and ssh .

Thanks for your reply. I don't understand how MinGW and Uwin
work. I am not that much of a computer expert. Will there be
complications if I load either of these. Can you provide
some details.

In article <g3bf62$2ni$1@fred.mathworks.com>,
Hema <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote:
>roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson) wrote in
>message <g3b4bl$ef2$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>...

>> If you load in MinGW or AT&T UWin then you would have
>enough of a
>> Unix-type environment to be able to use rsh and ssh .

>Thanks for your reply. I don't understand how MinGW and Uwin
>work. I am not that much of a computer expert. Will there be
>complications if I load either of these.

MinGW and UWin are effectively versions of Unix that you can run within
MS Windows. If you are from a Unix-like background, your reaction to
them will likely be something along the lines of, "At last! Now I can
do real work! Now NOTHING can stop me! Bwahahahahaha!". But if you are
from an MS Windows background, then your reaction to them will likely
be more or less "Huh?? If the packet hits a pocket on a socket on a WHAT?"

--
   "Okay, buzzwords only. Two syllables, tops." -- Laurie Anderson

roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson) wrote in
message <g3bgv0$2it$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>...
> In article <g3bf62$2ni$1@fred.mathworks.com>,
> Hema <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote:
> >roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson) wrote in
> >message <g3b4bl$ef2$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>...
>
> >> If you load in MinGW or AT&T UWin then you would have
> >enough of a
> >> Unix-type environment to be able to use rsh and ssh .
>
> >Thanks for your reply. I don't understand how MinGW and Uwin
> >work. I am not that much of a computer expert. Will there be
> >complications if I load either of these.
>
> MinGW and UWin are effectively versions of Unix that you
can run within
> MS Windows. If you are from a Unix-like background, your
reaction to
> them will likely be something along the lines of, "At
last! Now I can
> do real work! Now NOTHING can stop me! Bwahahahahaha!".
But if you are
> from an MS Windows background, then your reaction to them
will likely
> be more or less "Huh?? If the packet hits a pocket on a
socket on a WHAT?"

Ok I am from a Windows background and hence the latter
reaction:) But it seems like other than the method you
mentioned there is no other way to call a program on a
different machine from MATLAB. That's a little surprising to me.

"Hema ":
<SNIP still the same sermon...

> ...it seems like other than the method you
> mentioned there is no other way to call a program on a
> different machine from MATLAB. That's a little surprising
> to me...

did you look at what i told you earlier...
yes, then

% go here

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx

% download psexec
% use it according to the nice help, eg,

     !psexec

% now try
     system('psexec \\thiscomputer matlab');
% which should open another ML session on your computer...

us

"us " <us@neurol.unizh.ch> wrote in message
<g3bjoa$nfn$1@fred.mathworks.com>...
> "Hema ":
> <SNIP still the same sermon...
>
> > ...it seems like other than the method you
> > mentioned there is no other way to call a program on a
> > different machine from MATLAB. That's a little surprising
> > to me...
>
> did you look at what i told you earlier...
> yes, then
>
> % go here
>
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
> us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx
>
> % download psexec
> % use it according to the nice help, eg,
>
> !psexec
>
> % now try
> system('psexec \\thiscomputer matlab');
> % which should open another ML session on your computer...
>
> us
>

us sorry, I couldn't understand what you were trying to say
earlier. But I understood your new suggestion I think, so I
will try it tomorrow and let you know what the result is.

Thanks for your help
Hema

On Jun 18, 8:19 am, "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> <g393l6$mg...@fred.mathworks.com>...
>
> > I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
> > me to call an external program to compute my objective
> > function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
> > external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
> > Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to call
> > and run the application. How can I modify this for multiple
> > computers.
>
> I guess no one replied here. Can I ask another question. Is
> there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
> run it on a different computer. I think this should solve my
> problem

you need psexec from the pstool set made by sysinternals (taken over
by microsoft)

see: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx

good luck.

/reza

"Hema " <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:g3aufl$l7g$1@fred.mathworks.com...
> "Hema " <tennisenlightened@gmail.com> wrote in message
> <g393l6$mg0$1@fred.mathworks.com>...
>> I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
>> me to call an external program to compute my objective
>> function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
>> external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
>> Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to call
>> and run the application. How can I modify this for multiple
>> computers.
>
>
> I guess no one replied here. Can I ask another question. Is
> there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
> run it on a different computer. I think this should solve my
> problem

Depending on how parallelizable your function is, how many iterations you
need to run in your GA, and how many other computers you want to use to
compute your objective function, you might want to use Parallel Computing
Toolbox:

http://www.mathworks.com/products/parallel-computing/

You might find this demo from Genetic Algorithm and Direct Search Toolbox
interesting:

http://www.mathworks.com/products/gads/demos.html?file=/products/demos/shipping/gads/distributed_fitness.html

You may also be able to use the UseParallel option with the GA solver:

http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/toolbox/gads/f6174dfi10.html#brkgmk4-1

--
Steve Lord
slord@mathworks.com

"Steven Lord":
<SNIP down to ML intrinsic solution...

> >> Now in order to speed up, I would run this
> >> external application simultaneously on multiple
> >> computers.

> Depending on how parallelizable your function is, how
many iterations you need to run in your GA, and how many
other computers you want to use to compute your objective
function, you might want to use Parallel Computing
Toolbox...

steve
how would/could this tbx help the OP?
he wants to run an external app...
urs

"us " <us@neurol.unizh.ch> wrote in message
news:g3d6k9$4i0$1@fred.mathworks.com...
> "Steven Lord":
> <SNIP down to ML intrinsic solution...
>
>> >> Now in order to speed up, I would run this
>> >> external application simultaneously on multiple
>> >> computers.
>
>> Depending on how parallelizable your function is, how
> many iterations you need to run in your GA, and how many
> other computers you want to use to compute your objective
> function, you might want to use Parallel Computing
> Toolbox...
>
> steve
> how would/could this tbx help the OP?
> he wants to run an external app...
> urs

My guess is that the OP's objective function uses SYSTEM or ! to invoke the
external application and retrieve the output from that application. If
that's the case, the OP could modify their objective function using the demo
to which I linked as a guide to use SYSTEM on each of the workers, running
the external application on each, and returning the results back to their
main MATLAB session; alternately, I don't know of any inherent reason the
UseParallel option shouldn't work with an objective function that calls
SYSTEM.

--
Steve Lord
slord@mathworks.com

> My guess is that the OP's objective function uses SYSTEM
or ! to invoke the
> external application and retrieve the output from that
application. If
> that's the case, the OP could modify their objective
function using the demo
> to which I linked as a guide to use SYSTEM on each of the
workers, running
> the external application on each, and returning the
results back to their
> main MATLAB session; alternately, I don't know of any
inherent reason the
> UseParallel option shouldn't work with an objective
function that calls
> SYSTEM.
>
> --
> Steve Lord
> slord@mathworks.com

Steve

I use the dos() command to call the external application.
The external application then generates an output file with
the evaluated objective function. So I guess you are
probably right. I downloaded psexec and it seems that I can
use that. I am yet to try it for the remote machine. But I
will also look into what you are suggesting.

Thanks
Hema
>
>

reza <mjahanbin@gmail.com> wrote in message
<b5498a7c-3e4f-45f2-9d17-91177bacbc8a@w7g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>...
> On Jun 18, 8:19 am, "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> > "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >
> > <g393l6$mg...@fred.mathworks.com>...
> >
> > > I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
> > > me to call an external program to compute my objective
> > > function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
> > > external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
> > > Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to
call
> > > and run the application. How can I modify this for
multiple
> > > computers.
> >
> > I guess no one replied here. Can I ask another question. Is
> > there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
> > run it on a different computer. I think this should solve my
> > problem
>
> you need psexec from the pstool set made by sysinternals
(taken over
> by microsoft)
>
> see:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx
>
> good luck.
>
> /reza

Hi reza

I downloaded psexec and I used the following command to test
psexec dos('psexec \\remotecomputer cmd'). When I give the
same command at the command prompt it executes it but when I
use the above command it says cmd line exited with error
code 0. I am wondering if there are any changes needed to be
done when using psexec for MATLAB

Thanks
Hema

On Jun 24, 10:19 am, "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> reza <mjahan...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> <b5498a7c-3e4f-45f2-9d17-91177bacb...@w7g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>...
>
> > On Jun 18, 8:19 am, "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > "Hema " <tennisenlighte...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> > > <g393l6$mg...@fred.mathworks.com>...
>
> > > > I am implementing a GA using MATLAB. My algorithm requires
> > > > me to call an external program to compute my objective
> > > > function value. Now in order to speed up, I would run this
> > > > external application simultaneously on multiple computers.
> > > > Right now for a single computer I use a dos command to
> call
> > > > and run the application. How can I modify this for
> multiple
> > > > computers.
>
> > > I guess no one replied here. Can I ask another question. Is
> > > there a dos command that will allow me to call a program and
> > > run it on a different computer. I think this should solve my
> > > problem
>
> > you need psexec from the pstool set made by sysinternals
> (taken over
> > by microsoft)
>
> > see:
>
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897553.aspx
>
>
>
> > good luck.
>
> > /reza
>
> Hi reza
>
> I downloaded psexec and I used the following commandtotest
> psexec dos('psexec \\remotecomputer cmd'). When I give the
> same command at the command prompt it executes it but when I
> use the above command it says cmd line exited with error
> code 0. I am wondering if there are any changes neededtobe
> done when using psexec for MATLAB
>
> Thanks
> Hema

That is the correct behaviour. What are you trying to run on the
remote machine?

/m

Hema,

If the machines are networked (presumably!) and can have
access to a commonly shared directory, you might find it
informative to have a look at the following FEX submission:

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/loadFile.do?objectId=13775&objectType=file

(link might get broken)

... You may be able to either use this directly, or do
something similar.

Bit of a different approach to the above suggestions though!

Cheers

Tom Clark