RE: Does inter-CPU variability exist in NONMEM??
It is fairly common to use the compiler optimization level '-O3 -ffast-math'
with gfortran . The 'fast-math' option turns off compliance with the IEEE
floating point arithmetic standard in order to get faster floating point
computation. While computational speed is increased, it comes at a price -
different processors can get different results with fast-math turned on
depending on the specifics of the floating point hardware.
Quoted reply history
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Kevin Dykstra
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 11:52 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [NMusers] Does inter-CPU variability exist in NONMEM??
Dear Chungam -
You are not alone. A few years ago, I ran into a similar problem in comparing
results (probably with NONMEM V at that time) from different computers. I was
using an identical compiler on each, as well as identical compile settings
(this is worth checking in your situation). Even the operating system was the
same (Windows XP Professional), as I recall. Still I was getting subtle and not
so subtle differences, including convergence vs. non-convergence. The only
difference I could identify was, in fact, the machine on which the problem was
run. I assumed at the time that the differences were down to small differences
in the way each CPU handled floating point calculations (both were Intel,
however; one was a laptop, the other a desktop). I also suspect that the model
I was working on was not super robust, so that small differences translated
into successful or non-successful convergence. Anyway, what you are seeing is
not unheard of.
Good luck!
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Kevin Dykstra, PhD, FCP
President/CEO
[cid:[email protected]]
+1 978.655.1943 (O)
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From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of ???, Chungam Choi
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 10:55 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [NMusers] Does inter-CPU variability exist in NONMEM??
Dear all
I'm a newbie in this field practicing NONMEM using a few sets of bioavailabilty
data.
2days before, I managed to make a model and got to get some parameters. Though
I couldn't
sure about it due to my poor background, they(parameters) were quite similar to
those in a paper.
Anyway, the thing was, the results were not constant in a single NMTRAN file.
I've struggled for
a few days figuring out what the problem was, but I couldn't get the first
result. After I had run the same
control file with the same data in another PC, surprisingly, I could find that
the parameters were not the same
as those from the prior PC. This had AMD X2 250/2G DDR2 DRAM(Samsung)/windows 7
32bit and
that had Intel i870/8G DDR3 DRAM(Samsung)/windows vista 32bit. Both had NONMEM
7/gfortran(in NONMEM7 CD).
My friend, a developer, said that It didn't look like the problem of the
processors but of the compiler.
Because I've had fairly good relationship with AMD for long, I want to believe
he's right.
Is anyone here who 've met a similar problem?
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