test-mode

name: test-mode description: Guide for using MPK test mode to unit-test individual layers or multi-layer pipelines through the full compilation pipeline. Use when writing layer tests, debugging kernel output, or validating a new task end-to-end.

MPK Test Mode

Test mode compiles and runs an MPK task graph exactly once and exits. It exercises the full pipeline — Python layer API, task registration, C++ code generation, nvcc compilation, runtime dispatch, and the persistent runtime's metadata setup (init_kernel + prepare_next_batch) — making it the primary tool for validating that a new layer or task works end-to-end.

Test mode is selected by setting params["test_mode"] = True at construction time. Internally this defines -DMPK_TEST_MODE for the launcher build, which:

1. Auto-allocates any meta tensors the test author didn't pass (so paged-attention / embedding / sampling layers see valid qo_indptr_buffer, paged_kv_*, input_tokens, etc.).
2. Lets init_request_resources() and prepare_next_batch run normally — the same code paths production uses.
3. Forces prepare_next_batch's always-finalize shortcut on iter 1, which returns false and terminates the scheduler after exactly one task-graph pass.

Required: PyTorch Reference Comparison

Every test mode file must include a PyTorch reference implementation that computes the same operation, and must compare the MPK output against it numerically. A test that only runs the kernel without checking correctness is not a valid test — it only proves the kernel doesn't crash.

The reference should:

• Use plain torch ops (or torch.nn.functional) to implement the same math the layer performs.
• Run on the same input tensors as the MPK kernel (cast to a higher precision like float32 if needed for a trustworthy reference).
• Be compared with a tolerance appropriate to the dtype: bf16 typically atol=1e-2, rtol=1e-2; fp16 similar; fp32 much tighter.

Use torch.testing.assert_close(out, ref, atol=..., rtol=...) and/or print (out - ref).abs().max() so failures surface immediately rather than silently producing wrong numbers.

Where the reference lives: pytorch_reference.py

Per-layer test_mode files must import their PyTorch reference from pytorch_reference.py in the same folder, not redefine it inline. The folder layout is tests/runtime_python/<arch>/sm100_<layer>/, with one pytorch_reference.py per folder containing one function per in-scope layer. Both the new test_mode test (test_<layer>_testmode.py) and the existing kernel-wrapper test (test_<layer>.py) import from the same file, so they stay aligned on a single canonical reference.

If pytorch_reference.py does not yet exist for the layer, create it. If a kernel-wrapper test already exists with an inline reference, extract that reference into pytorch_reference.py and refactor the kernel-wrapper test to import from it.

Quick Start

import torch
import mirage
from mirage.mpk.persistent_kernel import PersistentKernel

# 1. Configure
num_workers, num_schedulers = mirage.get_configurations_from_gpu(0)
params = PersistentKernel.get_default_init_parameters()
params["test_mode"] = True
params["num_workers"] = num_workers
params["num_local_schedulers"] = num_schedulers
pk = PersistentKernel(**params)

# 2. Create tensors and attach (both inputs AND outputs)
x   = torch.randn(16, 4096, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
w   = torch.randn(4096, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")
out = torch.zeros(16, 4096, dtype=torch.bfloat16, device="cuda")

x_dt   = pk.attach_input(x, name="x")
w_dt   = pk.attach_input(w, name="w")
out_dt = pk.attach_input(out, name="out")

# 3. Build layer(s)
block_dim = (256, 1, 1) if pk.target_cc >= 90 else (128, 1, 1)
pk.rmsnorm_layer(input=x_dt, weight=w_dt, output=out_dt,
                 grid_dim=(16, 1, 1), block_dim=block_dim)

# 4. Compile and run — same call as production; MPK_TEST_MODE is baked into the .so
pk.compile(output_dir="./test_output")   # saves .cu and .json for debugging
pk()
torch.cuda.synchronize()

# 5. Compare against a PyTorch reference
def torch_rmsnorm(x, w, eps=1e-6):
    x_f32 = x.to(torch.float32)
    rms = x_f32.pow(2).mean(dim=-1, keepdim=True).add(eps).rsqrt()
    return (x_f32 * rms * w.to(torch.float32)).to(x.dtype)

ref = torch_rmsnorm(x, w)
print("Max diff:", (out - ref).abs().max().item())
torch.testing.assert_close(out, ref, atol=1e-2, rtol=1e-2)

# 6. Cleanup
pk.finalize()

What Test Mode Actually Does

The launcher's first scheduler event is always EVENT_END_OF_TASK_GRAPH, so prepare_next_batch fires before iter 0. Concretely:

init_kernel:           zero step / request_ids / qo_indptr / paged_kv_indptr; seed page_queue
1st END_OF_TASK_GRAPH (iter_num=0): prepare_next_batch fills meta tensors for iter 0 → returns true
iter 0:                the test — layer-under-test runs with valid meta tensors
2nd END_OF_TASK_GRAPH (iter_num=1): prepare_next_batch finalizes (MPK_TEST_MODE always-finalize)
                                    → no new prefills (next_request_id == total_num_requests)
                                    → returns false → terminate

So tests of meta-tensor-dependent layers (paged attention, MoE routing, embedding, sampling) work — they read the values that prepare_next_batch wrote.

API Reference

PersistentKernel.get_default_init_parameters() (classmethod)

Returns a dict with safe defaults for test mode. You must set params["test_mode"] = True — it is not in the defaults.

Commonly overridden keys:

mirage.get_configurations_from_gpu(rank)

Returns (num_workers, num_schedulers) tuned for the GPU at the given rank. Always use this rather than hardcoding — the values depend on SM count and architecture.

pk.attach_input(tensor, name)

Registers a PyTorch CUDA tensor with the computation graph. Returns a DTensor for use in layer calls.

• Call for every tensor — inputs, weights, AND outputs.
• Output tensors are modified in-place when the kernel runs.
• Tensor must be contiguous (row-major / C-order).
• Name must be unique across all attached tensors.

pk.compile(output_dir=None)

Generates CUDA code, compiles with nvcc, loads the resulting .so module.

• Set output_dir to save test_rank0.cu and task_graph_rank0.json — essential for debugging compilation errors or incorrect results.
• Compilation can be slow (1–10+ minutes) depending on which task kernels are instantiated.

pk() — Launch the kernel

Same call as production. In test mode the launcher was compiled with -DMPK_TEST_MODE so it terminates after one task-graph pass. The previous pk.run_test_mode() method has been removed; use pk() directly.

• Must be called after compile().
• Does not synchronize — call torch.cuda.synchronize() before reading output tensors.
• Optional default_stream=stream kwarg if you don't want the current stream.
• Profiler export: pass params["profiler_tensor"] and optional params["trace_name"] before compile(). After pk() returns, both <trace_name>.perfetto-trace and <trace_name>.csv are written. See "Profiling" below.

pk.finalize()

Frees GPU resources (queues, events, task/event storage). Call when done.

Meta-Tensor Defaults

Test mode auto-allocates any of the 10 meta tensors that you don't pass:

total_num_requests is derived from tokens.shape[0] (defaults to 1).

Override only what your test scenario requires. Typical patterns:

# Single prefill of length N (controls qo_indptr_buffer / paged_kv_* via prepare_next_batch)
params["meta_tensors"] = {
    "prompt_lengths": torch.tensor([N], dtype=torch.int32, device="cuda"),
}

# Specific prompt content (e.g. for embedding-layer tests that read input_tokens)
params["meta_tensors"] = {
    "prompt_lengths": torch.tensor([N], dtype=torch.int32, device="cuda"),
    "tokens": torch.tensor([[101, 7592, 2088, ...]], dtype=torch.int64, device="cuda"),
}

# Multi-request batch — total_num_requests inferred from tokens.shape[0]
params["meta_tensors"] = {
    "tokens": torch.zeros((4, max_seq_length), dtype=torch.int64, device="cuda"),
    "prompt_lengths": torch.tensor([16, 8, 32, 4], dtype=torch.int32, device="cuda"),
}

The shape/dtype assertions that production runs through (e.g. tokens.shape[1] == max_seq_length, prompt_lengths.dtype == int32) all run in test mode too — defaults satisfy them by construction; user overrides will fail loudly if they don't match.

Multi-Layer Pipeline Example

Multiple layers can be chained with intermediate tensors. From the Qwen3 dense MLP pattern:

# Gate+Up linear → SiLU-Mul → Down+Residual

# Attach weights separately, then shuffle for interleaved gate/up layout
w_gate_dt = pk.attach_input(w_gate, name="w_gate")
w_up_dt   = pk.attach_input(w_up, name="w_up")
w_gatedup_dt = pk.shuffle_tensors(
    inputs=[w_gate_dt, w_up_dt],
    shuffled_dim=0,
    num_groups=num_tasks // 2,
    name="w_gatedup",
)

# Layer 1: Gate+Up fused linear
pk.linear_layer(input=input_dt, weight=w_gatedup_dt, output=mlp_mid_dt,
                grid_dim=(num_tasks, 1, 1), block_dim=block_dim)

# Layer 2: SiLU activation * element-wise multiply
pk.silu_mul_layer(input=mlp_mid_dt, output=silu_out_dt,
                  grid_dim=(num_tasks // 2, 1, 1), block_dim=block_dim)

# Layer 3: Down projection + residual add
pk.linear_with_residual_layer(input=silu_out_dt, weight=w_down_dt,
                              residual=residual_dt, output=mlp_out_dt,
                              grid_dim=(hidden_size // 64, 1, 1), block_dim=block_dim)

Key pattern: intermediate tensors (mlp_mid, silu_out) are pre-allocated and attached via attach_input so they can be inspected after execution if needed. For a runnable multi-task test see tests/runtime_python/test_mode/test_diamond_fork_join_testmode.py.

Multi-GPU Tests

Test mode supports world_size > 1. Each rank is independent — auto-defaults are deterministic functions of kernel params, so they produce identical values on every rank.

from mpi4py import MPI
comm = MPI.COMM_WORLD
world_size = comm.Get_size()
rank = comm.Get_rank()
torch.cuda.set_device(rank)

params = PersistentKernel.get_default_init_parameters()
params["test_mode"] = True
params["world_size"] = world_size
params["mpi_rank"] = rank
# ... rest of setup is the same as single-GPU
pk = PersistentKernel(**params)
# ... attach + register layers (incl. NVSHMEM ops like pk.allreduce_layer)
pk.compile(output_dir=...)
pk()
torch.cuda.synchronize()

Launch convention:

LD_PRELOAD=$NVSHMEM_HOME/lib/libnvshmem_host.so \
mpirun --np 2 -x LD_PRELOAD -x LD_LIBRARY_PATH -x NVSHMEM_HOME \
    python tests/runtime_python/test_mode/test_multigpu_rmsnorm_testmode.py

The LD_PRELOAD is required so dlopen()-loaded launcher modules resolve nvshmem_selected_device_transport and other NVSHMEM-versioned symbols. This is an existing NVSHMEM 3.x quirk, unrelated to test mode.

Profiling

Test mode supports profiling because pk() runs the standard __call__ path. Profiling is opt-in: pass a profiler_tensor and the post-run hook writes both a Perfetto trace (for human inspection) and a CSV (for programmatic queries).

params = PersistentKernel.get_default_init_parameters()
params["test_mode"] = True
params["trace_name"] = "rmsnorm_smoke"           # optional; defaults to f"mirage_{mpi_rank}"
params["profiler_tensor"] = torch.zeros(
    3000 * 128, dtype=torch.uint64, device="cuda"
)
pk = PersistentKernel(**params)

# ... attach tensors, register layers, pk.compile(...) as usual ...
pk()
torch.cuda.synchronize()
# Two files now exist alongside the script:
#   rmsnorm_smoke.perfetto-trace   ← drag into ui.perfetto.dev
#   rmsnorm_smoke.csv              ← query with scripts/parse_profile.py

The profiler buffer must be uint64 on CUDA. 3000 * 128 entries is the conventional size used by the demos and is plenty for short test-mode runs. Each task event consumes 2 entries (BEGIN + END); buffer overflow would surface later as a RuntimeError("dangling BEGIN ...") from the CSV writer.

CSV schema

One row per fully-paired task event (and one row per kInstant event with duration_ns=0):

Querying the CSV — scripts/parse_profile.py

All output is JSON; errors print {"error": "..."} and exit 2.

# What task types ran, with event counts
python scripts/parse_profile.py rmsnorm_smoke.csv --list

# Average runtime of one task type
python scripts/parse_profile.py rmsnorm_smoke.csv TASK_RMS_NORM_HOPPER --stat avg

# Min / max / avg / median in one shot
python scripts/parse_profile.py rmsnorm_smoke.csv TASK_LINEAR_SM100 --stat all

# Numeric task-type id is also accepted
python scripts/parse_profile.py rmsnorm_smoke.csv 253 --stat min

Sample output:

{"task_type": "TASK_LINEAR_SM100", "count": 7040, "min_ns": 11776, "max_ns": 193856, "avg_ns": 26731.58, "median_ns": 31184.0}

For finer-grained analysis (per-worker breakdown, percentiles, outliers), pandas.read_csv(...) the file directly — the schema is stable and column names speak for themselves.

Constraints

• One execution pass — the task graph runs once and prepare_next_batch returns false on its second call. No multi-iteration scheduling.
• Meta tensors auto-allocated — pass overrides only for entries your test scenario depends on. Defaults are sized from kernel-level params (max_num_batched_tokens, max_num_batched_requests, max_num_pages, max_seq_length, etc.), so bump those if your test needs larger buffers.
• MPK_TEST_MODE is a compile-time flag — switching test_mode between True and False requires re-running pk.compile(); the same launcher .so isn't reusable across modes.

Debugging Tips

Compilation fails:

• Check <output_dir>/test_rank0.cu for the generated code. Search for your task name in the _execute_task() function.
• Check <output_dir>/task_graph_rank0.json for the task graph. This file might be extremely long; don't read it raw — use scripts/parse_task_graph.py.

Incorrect dimension splitting:

• The MPK layers require input_map for each associated tensor to specify how dimensions are split across the grid. If grid/block dimensions don't divide tensor dimensions correctly, the kernel may read/write out of bounds, producing NaNs or wrong results.

Incomplete task attributes:

• Ensure all required attributes for each task are correctly specified in the compilation logic in runtime.cc. Missing/incorrect attributes cause undefined behavior or compilation errors.

Kernel hangs / never terminates:

• Verify total_num_requests is set to match the number of in-flight test requests (typically 1, derived from tokens.shape[0]). If next_request_id never reaches total_num_requests, prepare_next_batch will keep returning true and iterations will not stop.
• Verify the active mode is "offline" (the default). MPK_TEST_MODE is designed to layer on top of MODE_OFFLINE's prepare_next_batch; other modes are not supported.
• The MPK runtime assumes occupying the entire GPU. If other processes are running, they can interfere with scheduling and cause hangs. Always check GPU availability before running. And if it hangs, kill and rerun on other idle GPUs.

Verifying that prepare_next_batch actually ran:

• After pk() returns, read back pk.meta_tensors["step"][0]. It should equal prompt_lengths[0] — prepare_next_batch's Step 1.1 advances step by num_tokens on the second call. See test_prepare_next_batch_testmode.py for the canonical assertion.

Example Test Files