PALM Tests

PALM features a test suite to ensure its reliability while development goes forward. It can be executed locally with the following options:

palmtest -h "<configuration>" -d "<list of test cases>" -X <max number of cores to execute on> -N "<test id>"

As these are all optional, the defaults are as follows:

• configuration: default
• list of test cases: all available
• max number of cores to execute on: all available but not more that 32
• test id: the current time

The Testserver

The server responsible for testing can be found ​here. It is a 32 Core shared memory node running Jenkins on top of Ubuntu Server 16.04. The server runs the following test script based on plain PALM installation.

#!/bin/bash

palmtest -h "default" -N "${BUILD_NUMBER}" -X 32
result_default=$?

if [[ ${result_default} -ne 0 ]]; then 
   palmtest -h "debug" -N "${BUILD_NUMBER}_debug" -X 32
   result_debug=$?
else
   result_debug=0
fi

if [[ ${result_default} -eq 0 ]] && [[ ${result_debug} -eq 0 ]]; then 
   exit 0
else
   exit 1
fi

How to add a test case

Any developer can add new test cases. This is as simple as adding a respective *_p3d file and *_rc file to the INSTALL directory in the PALM trunk. The palmtest script will detect all available *_p3d namelist files with matching *_rc in this directory, execute them using palmrun and compare them to the respective *_rc reverence file. Please make sure the reverence *_rc file is valid and reproducible. It is the developers responsibility to make sure that the newly added test succeeds at the time it is added! All methodical errors associated with a specific test case that arise later, are also the initial developers responsibility.

Rules for test case development

Please to comply with the following Rules while developing new test cases:

1. The test case must be executable on 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 cores.
2. The execution time of the test case on a single core should not exceed 10 seconds.
3. The test case is only allowed to be committed after the developer made sure that the test can run successful on the server.
4. If a test case creates problems that are not fixable within an acceptable timeframe, the test case will be removed. The test case may be added again, ones all problems are solved.

List of proposed test cases

Name	Description	Status	Responsible Developers
example_cbl	Simple good old convective boundary layer setup	Implemented
ex_lsm_clearsky	Basic LSM setup	Implemented	Katrin
test_oceanml	Basic ocean mixed layer setup	Implemented	Siggi
	FFTW / MG setup	Missing
	humidity setup (is used in ex_lsm_clearsky)	Implemented
	passive scalar setup	Missing
	topography setup	Missing
	particle LCM setup - for passive tracers with SGS fluctuations	Missing	Johannes
	particle LCM setup - for cloud droplets including collision	Missing	Johannes
	bulk-microphysics setup	Missing	Johannes
	non-cyclic recycling setup	Missing
	non-cyclic turbulence generator setup	Missing
	cyclic fill setup	Missing
	restart setup	Missing
	all output activated setup	Missing
	USM + canopy setup	Missing
	RRTMG setup	Missing
	nesting setup	Missing
	chemistry setup	Missing
	Setup for testing the wind turbine model	Missing

List of proposed build setups

Name	Description	Status	Responsible Developers
default	Based on gfortran, MPICH2, FFTW and NetCDF with options: -O3 -ffree-line-length-none	Implemented	Helge
debug	Based on default but with debug options: -O0 -Wall -Wextra -pedantic -fcheck=all -fbacktrace	Implemented	Helge
	different compiler: intel/cray/pgi ?	Missing
	non-MPI - should be serial. i.e. without -D__parallel (Siggi)	Missing
	hybrid MPI-OpenMP	Missing
	non-NetCDF - I think this is not necessary (Siggi)	Missing
	nopointer	Missing
	FFTW - only required after OpenACC is part of default code (Siggi)	Missing
	RRTMG	Missing
	KPP_CHEM	Missing