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Docs - Add documentation for --no-docker parameter requirements (#715) #783

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Add documentation for --no-docker parameter requirements (#715)
NJX-njx Mar 3, 2026
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guoshzhao Mar 26, 2026
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Merge branch 'main' into docs/no-docker-requirements-715
guoshzhao Apr 13, 2026
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion docs/cli.md
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Expand Up @@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ sb run [--config-file]
| `--host-list` `-l` | `None` | Comma separated host list. |
| `--host-password` | `None` | Host password or key passphrase if needed. |
| `--host-username` | `None` | Host username if needed. |
| `--no-docker` | `False` | Run on host directly without Docker. |
| `--no-docker` | `False` | Run on host directly without Docker. When using remote nodes, SuperBench (`sb` binary and dependencies) must be pre-installed on each target host; otherwise `command not found` will occur. See [Run SuperBench - Using --no-docker on Remote Nodes](getting-started/run-superbench.md#using---no-docker-on-remote-nodes) for details. |
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For readability in this table cell, consider formatting the literal error text as code (e.g., command not found) and/or shortening the row by moving the longer explanation into the linked getting-started section. Very long table cells can make the markdown harder to maintain and review.

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| `--no-docker` | `False` | Run on host directly without Docker. When using remote nodes, SuperBench (`sb` binary and dependencies) must be pre-installed on each target host; otherwise `command not found` will occur. See [Run SuperBench - Using --no-docker on Remote Nodes](getting-started/run-superbench.md#using---no-docker-on-remote-nodes) for details. |
| `--no-docker` | `False` | Run on host directly without Docker. See [Run SuperBench - Using --no-docker on Remote Nodes](getting-started/run-superbench.md#using---no-docker-on-remote-nodes) for details on using this option with remote nodes. |

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| `--output-dir` | `None` | Path to output directory, outputs/{datetime} will be used if not specified. |
| `--private-key` | `None` | Path to private key if needed. |

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15 changes: 15 additions & 0 deletions docs/getting-started/run-superbench.md
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Expand Up @@ -47,3 +47,18 @@ You can create a privileged container with `superbench/superbench` image, skip `
`sb run --no-docker -l localhost -c resnet.yaml`.

:::

## Using `--no-docker` on Remote Nodes
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@polarG polarG May 22, 2026

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[SHOULD-FIX] (Maintainability) New section ignores the file's paragraph + bash-fence + admonition style

Issue: Every other prose unit in this file follows "1 short paragraph → ```bash fenced example → optional :::note / :::tip admonition" (## Deploy, ## Run). Confirmed by git grep -nE ':::(tip|note|caution|warning|info)' -- docs/:

docs/getting-started/installation.mdx:17::::tip Tips
docs/getting-started/installation.mdx:32::::note
docs/getting-started/installation.mdx:61::::note Note
docs/getting-started/run-superbench.md:27::::note Note
docs/getting-started/run-superbench.md:44::::tip TIP
docs/user-tutorial/baseline-generation.md:31::::tip Tips
docs/user-tutorial/result-summary.md:31::::tip Tips

The new section uses none — it is one dense 4-item bold-led numbered list, zero runnable code blocks, no admonitions. Items 1 (command not found, exit code 127) and 4 (HPC clusters with restricted container runtimes) are textbook :::caution / :::note material; Options A/B/C are command-driven yet show no commands.

Impact: Future editors will see one section that looks foreign to the rest of the page, increasing drift over time.

Recommendation: Restructure as paragraphs + 1–2 bash code fences + admonitions, e.g.:

### Using `--no-docker` on Remote Nodes

When you run `sb run --no-docker` against remote hosts (via `--host-file` or
`--host-list`), Ansible SSHes into each node and invokes the `sb` binary
directly, so SuperBench must already be installed on every target host.

\`\`\`bash
sb run --no-docker -f remote.ini -c resnet.yaml \\
  --config-override superbench.env.SB_MICRO_PATH=/opt/superbench
\`\`\`

:::caution
If `sb` is not on `PATH` on a remote host, the run fails with
`sb: command not found` (exit code 127).
:::

:::note
Set `SB_MICRO_PATH` (env var or `superbench.env.SB_MICRO_PATH` via
`--config-override`) to the on-host install path of the micro-benchmark
binaries.
:::

Agreement: 2/3 reviewers.

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[SHOULD-FIX] (Maintainability) New section should be H3 under ## Run, not a peer H2

Issue: This document's existing H2 structure is the top-level workflow narrative (## Deploy → ## Run). The new section documents requirements for one specific variant of the sb run step and is logically a Run-time caveat — the existing :::tip TIP for the same flag is already correctly nested under ## Run. Adding it as a third peer H2 implies it is a separate workflow stage and splits --no-docker guidance across two sibling H2s.

Impact: Readers and the Docusaurus sidebar/TOC will surface "Using --no-docker on Remote Nodes" as a peer to Deploy/Run.

Recommendation: Demote to H3 under ## Run, immediately after (or merged into) the existing :::tip TIP:

## Run
...
:::tip TIP
... (existing local privileged-container note) ...
:::

### Using `--no-docker` on Remote Nodes
...

Agreement: 1/3 reviewers.

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[NON-BLOCKING] (Maintainability) No cross-reference between the pre-existing :::tip TIP and the new section

Issue: Two adjacent blocks on the same flag with no narrative linkage (tip = local privileged container; new section = remote hosts). Not strictly contradictory, but future maintainers may update one and forget the other.

Recommendation: After demoting the new section to H3 under ## Run (sibling finding), add a leading sentence: "The tip above covers running --no-docker locally inside a privileged container. The requirements below apply when --no-docker is used against remote hosts."

Agreement: 1/3 reviewers.


When running `sb run` with `--no-docker` on **remote nodes** (via `--host-file` or `--host-list`), the following requirements apply:

1. **SuperBench must be pre-installed on each remote node.** The `sb` CLI binary and its dependencies must be available in the PATH on every target host. Running without Docker means Ansible will SSH into each node and execute `sb exec` directly; if `sb` is not installed, you will see `command not found` (exit code 127).
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[NON-BLOCKING] (Maintainability) "execute sb exec directly" leaks an internal subcommand

Issue: sb exec is the actual remote command (superbench/runner/runner.py:127, superbench/runner/playbooks/cleanup.yaml:5-7) but it is not documented as a user-facing command in docs/cli.md (which lists sb deploy, sb run, sb result …, etc.). Exposing it by name without explanation couples user docs to an implementation detail of runner.py — a future rename will silently rot this line.

Note: This conflicts with the suggestion to name sb exec in cli.md for diagnostic clarity (see the docs/cli.md line 378 comment about the failing binary). Reconcile by: in cli.md, say "the failing binary is sb"; in run-superbench.md, drop the sb exec reference and say "invokes the sb binary directly".

Recommendation: Rephrase, e.g.: "Ansible SSHes into each node and invokes the sb binary directly; if sb is not on PATH you will see sb: command not found (exit code 127)."

Agreement: 1/3 reviewers.


2. **Deployment options:**
- **Option A:** Extract the contents of the `superbench/superbench` Docker image onto each node (e.g., copy binaries, Python environment, and micro-benchmark executables to a consistent path), then ensure `sb` is in PATH.
- **Option B:** Install SuperBench from source or pip on each node, and build/install the required micro-benchmark binaries (see `third_party/` and build instructions).
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[SHOULD-FIX] (Correctness) third_party/ + "build instructions" pointer is unactionable

Issue: third_party/Makefile does exist (targets cuda, rocm, common, cuda_cutlass, …, keyed off SB_MICRO_PATH, MPI_HOME, HIP_HOME, CUDA_VER), but there is no user-facing "build third_party on the host" guide in docs/. docs/getting-started/installation.mdx documents only the control-node build (pip install . && make postinstall). A user following "see third_party/ and build instructions" lands on a Makefile with no surrounding guidance and no required env-var documentation.

Impact: Option B cannot be reproduced from this doc alone, undermining the PR's goal of preventing rc=127.

Recommendation: Replace with a concrete pointer + required vars, e.g.:

   - **Option B:** On each node, install SuperBench (see
     [installation](installation.mdx)) and then build the native
     micro-benchmark binaries with the project Makefile:
     \`\`\`bash
     export SB_MICRO_PATH=/opt/superbench  # must match the value used at runtime
     cd third_party && make -j cuda   # or `make rocm` on AMD
     \`\`\`
     The supported variables (`SB_MICRO_PATH`, `MPI_HOME`, `HIP_HOME`,
     `CUDA_VER`, …) are defined at the top of `third_party/Makefile`.

Agreement: 2/3 reviewers.

- **Option C:** Use `sb deploy` first to pull the image, then manually extract the container filesystem to the host if you need to run without containers.
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3. **Environment variables:** Set `superbench.env.SB_MICRO_PATH` (and other required env vars) to match the installation path on each node when using `--no-docker`.
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4. **Use case:** `--no-docker` is intended for environments where Docker-in-Docker or nested containers are not supported (e.g., certain Kubernetes setups, HPC clusters with restricted container runtimes). For standard deployments, prefer `sb deploy` + `sb run` without `--no-docker`.
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[NON-BLOCKING] (Maintainability) No back-link from run-superbench.md to cli.md

Issue: cli.md now links forward to this new section, but the new section never references cli.md. Other tutorial pages routinely back-link to the canonical flag table:

docs/user-tutorial/baseline-generation.md:17: ... [SuperBench CLI](../cli.md).
docs/user-tutorial/result-summary.md:17:   ... [SuperBench CLI](../cli.md).
docs/user-tutorial/data-diagnosis.md:17:   ... [SuperBench CLI](../cli.md).

Readers landing on the new section have no pointer back to --host-file, --host-list, --config-override (all referenced by name).

Recommendation: Add a one-liner at the top or bottom of the new section:

For the full list of flags accepted by `sb run`, see [SuperBench CLI](../cli.md#sb-run).

Agreement: 2/3 reviewers.

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