# mpiexec and cluster

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/mpiexec-and-cluster/15339
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** mpi
**Created:** [September 2, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/mpiexec-and-cluster/15339 "2024-09-02T15:07:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Nicholas\_Yue](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/nicholas_yue/32/5203_2.png) [@Nicholas\_Yue](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Nicholas_Yue)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/mpiexec-and-cluster/15339/1 "2024-09-02T15:07:21Z")

</div>

I am setting up a test cluster (vagrant+virtualbox) to learn more about mpiexec and pvserver

The cluster on virtualbox has the following nodes

1. head
2. node-1
3. node-2

The head node is where I can login to run something like

mpiexec -np 2 host node-1,node-2 pvserver

From outside the cluster, is it the practice to connect directly to e.g. node-1 to connect (yes it does work)

Or should I be connecting to `head` instead because from a network/security perspective, one should really only be allowed to connect to the `head` node.

If so, how should I run mpiexec so that the work is done by the node-\* while the connection to the outside world is via the `head` node ?

Kind regards

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/mpiexec-and-cluster/15339/2 "2024-09-02T15:13:06Z")

</div>

HI @Nicholas_Yue

> If so, how should I run mpiexec so that the work is done by the node-\* while the connection to the outside world is via the `head` node ?

Using a SSH tunnel:  
[https://docs.paraview.org/en/latest/ReferenceManual/parallelDataVisualization.html#case-sixteen-secured-connection-to-a-server-trough-ssh-tunnel](https://docs.paraview.org/en/latest/ReferenceManual/parallelDataVisualization.html#case-sixteen-secured-connection-to-a-server-trough-ssh-tunnel)