Document Open-CE, update Tensorflow, PyTorch and deprecate WMLCE

+ Adds Open-CE documentation page
  + Marks as successor to WMLCE
  + Lists the key features no longer availablle from WMLCE
  + Describes why to use Open-CE
  + provides instructions for installing Open-CE packages into conda environments
+ Updates TensorFlow page to refer to/use Open-CE not WMLCE
  + Replaces quickstart with installation via conda section
+ Updates PyToorch page to refer to/use Open-CE not WMLCE
  + Replaces quickstart with installation via conda section
+ Updates WMLCE page
  + Refer to Open-CE as successor, emphasising that WMLCE is deprecated / no longer supported
  + Update/Tweak tensorflow-benchmarks resnet50 usage+description.
+ Expands Conda documentation
  + Includes upgrading installation instructions to source the preffered etc/profile.d/conda.sh
    + https://github.com/conda/conda/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#recommended-change-to-enable-conda-in-your-shell
  + conda python version selection should only use a single '='
+ Updates usage page emphasising ddlrun is not supported on RHEL 8

This does not include benchmarking of open-CE or RHEL 7/8 comparisons of WMLCE benchmarking due to ddlrun errors on RHEL 8.

Closes #63
Closes #72

software/applications/conda.rst

@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ Conda
 
 `Conda <https://docs.conda.io/>`__ is an open source package management system and environment management system that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Conda quickly installs, runs and updates packages and their dependencies.
 
+
+.. _software-applications-conda-installing:
+
 Installing Miniconda
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
@@ -26,15 +29,15 @@ The simplest way to install Conda for use on Bede is through the `miniconda <htt
    sha256sum Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh
 
    sh Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh -b -p ./miniconda
-   source miniconda/bin/activate
+   source miniconda/etc/profile.d/conda.sh
    conda update conda -y
 
 On subsequent sessions, or in job scripts you may need to re-source miniconda. Alternatively you could add this to your bash environment. I.e. 
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     export CONDADIR=/nobackup/projects/<project>/$USER # Update this with your <project> code.
-    source $CONDADIR/miniconda/bin/activate
+    source $CONDADIR/miniconda/etc/profile.d/conda.sh
 
 Creating a new Conda Environment
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@@ -45,14 +48,28 @@ I.e. to create a new conda environment named `example`, with `python 3.9` you ca
 
 .. code-block:: bash
    
-   conda create -y --name example python==3.9
+   conda create -y --name example python=3.9
 
 Once created, the environment can be activated using ``conda activate``.
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
    conda activate example
 
+Alternatively, Conda environments can be created outside of the conda/miniconda install, using the ``-p`` / ``--prefix`` option of ``conda create``. 
+
+I.e. if you have installed miniconda to your home directory, but wish to create a conda environment within the ``/project/<PROJECT>/$USER/`` directory named ``example`` you can use:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   conda create -y --prefix /project/<PROJECT>/$USER/example python=3.9
+
+This can subsequently be loaded via:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   conda activate /project/<PROJECT>/$USER/example
+
 Listing and Activating existing Conda Environments
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
@@ -64,6 +81,27 @@ Existing conda environments can be listed via:
 
 ``conda activate`` can then be used to activate one of the listed environments.
 
+Adding Conda Channels to an Environment
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The default conda channel does not contain all packages or may not contain versions of packages you may wish to use.
+
+In this case, third-party conda channels can be added to conda environments to provide access to these packages, such as the :ref:`Open-CE <software-applications-open-ce>` Conda channel hosted by Oregon State University.
+
+It is recommended to add channels to specific conda environments, rather than your global conda configuration.
+
+I.e. to add the `OSU Open-CE Conda channel <https://osuosl.org/services/powerdev/opence/>`__ to the currently loaded conda environment:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   conda config --env --prepend channels https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/current/
+
+You may also wish to enable `strict channel priority <https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-channels.html#strict-channel-priority>`__ to speed up conda operations and reduce incompatibility which will be default from Conda 5.0. This may break old environment files.
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   conda config --env --set channel_priority strict
+
 Installing Conda Packages
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

software/applications/open-ce.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+.. _software-applications-open-ce:
+
+Open-CE
+=======
+
+The `Open Cognitive Environment (Open-CE) <https://osuosl.org/services/powerdev/opence/>`__ is a community driven software distribution for machine learning and deep learning frameworks.
+
+Open-CE software is distributed via :ref:`Conda<software-applications-conda>`, with all included packages for a given Open-CE release being installable in to the same conda environment.
+
+Open-CE conda channels suitable for use on Bede's IBM Power architecture systems are hosted by `Oregon State University <https://osuosl.org/services/powerdev/opence/>`__ and `MIT <https://opence.mit.edu/>`__.
+
+It is the successor to :ref:`IBM WMLCE <software-applications-wmlce>` which was archived on 2020-11-10, with IBM WMLCE 1.7.0 being the final release.
+
+Open-CE includes the following software packages, amongst others:
+
+* :ref:`TensorFlow <software-applications-tensorflow>`
+* :ref:`PyTorch <software-applications-pytorch>`
+* `Horovod <https://horovod.ai/>`__
+* `ONNX <https://onnx.ai/>`__
+
+.. note:: 
+
+   Open-CE does not include all features from WMLCE, such as Large Model Support or Distributed Deep Learning (DDL). 
+
+Using Open-CE
+-------------
+
+Open-CE provides software packages via :ref:`Conda<software-applications-conda>`, which you must first :ref:`install<software-applications-conda-installing>`.
+Conda installations of the packages provided by Open-CE can become quite large (multiple GBs), so you may wish to use a conda installation in ``/nobackup/projects/<project>`` or ``/projects/<project>`` as described in the :ref:`Installing Conda section <software-applications-conda-installing>`.
+
+With a working Conda install, Open-CE packages can be installed from either the OSU or MIT Conda channels for PPC64LE systems such as Bede.
+
+* OSU: ``https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/current/``
+* MIT: ``https://opence.mit.edu/``
+
+Using Conda Environments are recommended when working with Open-CE.
+
+I.e. to install ``tensorflow`` and ``pytorch`` from OSU Open-CE conda channel into a conda environment named ``open-ce``:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   # Create a new conda environment named open-ce within your conda installation
+   conda create -y --name open-ce python=3.9 # Older Open-CE may require older Python versions
+
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate open-ce
+
+   # Add the OSU Open-CE conda channel to the current environment config
+   conda config --env --prepend channels https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/current/
+   # Also use strict channel priority
+   conda config --env --set channel_priority strict
+
+   # Install the required conda package, using the channels set within the conda env. This may take some time.
+   conda install -y tensorflow
+   conda install -y pytorch
+
+Once installed into a conda environment, the Open-CE provided software packages can be used interactively on login nodes or within batch jobs by activating the named conda environment.
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate open-ce
+
+   # Run a python command or script which makes use of the installed packages
+   # I.e. to output the version of tensorflow:
+   python3 -c "import tensorflow;print(tensorflow.__version__)"
+
+   # I.e. or to output the version of pytorch:
+   python3 -c "import torch;print(torch.__version__)"
+
+Using older versions of Open-CE
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The OSU conda distribution provides an archive of older Open-CE releases, beginning at version ``1.0.0``. 
+
+The available versions are listed at https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/.
+
+Using versions other than ``current`` can be done by modifying the channel URI when adding the channel to the current conda environment with the desired version number. 
+
+I.e. to explicitly use Open-CE ``1.4.1`` the command to add the conda channel to the current environment would be:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   conda config --env --prepend channels https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/1.4.1/
+
+Using older Open-CE versions may require older python versions. 
+See the `OSU Open-CE page <https://osuosl.org/services/powerdev/opence/>`__ for further version information.
+
+The MIT Open-CE channel provides multiple versions of Open-CE in the same Conda channel. If using the MIT Open-CE distribution, older versions of packages can be requested by specifying the specific version of the desired package.
+
+Why use Open-CE
+---------------
+
+Modern machine learning packages like TensorFlow and PyTorch have large dependency trees which can conflict with one another due to the independent release schedules.
+This has made it difficult to use multiple competing packages within the same environment. 
+
+Open-CE solves this issue by ensuring that packages included in a given Open-CE distribution are compatible with one another, and can be installed a the same time, simplifying the distribution of these packages. 
+
+It also provides pre-compiled distributions of these packages for PPC64LE architecture machines, which are not always available from upstream sources, reducing the time required to install these packages.
+
+For more information on the potential benefits of using Open-CE see `this blog post from the OpenPOWER foundation <https://openpowerfoundation.org/blog/open-cognitive-environment-open-ce-a-valuable-tool-for-ai-researchers/>`__.
+
+Differences from WMLCE
+----------------------
+
+:ref:`IBM WMLCE<software-applications-wmlce>` include several features not available in upstream TensorFlow and PyTorch distributions, such as Large Model Support.
+
+Unfortunately, LMS is not available in TensorFlow or PyTorch provided by Open-CE.
+
+Other features or packages absent in Open-CE which were included in WMLCE include:
+
+* Large Model Support (LMS)
+* IBM DDL
+* Caffe (IMB-enhanced)
+* IBM SnapML
+* NVIDIA Rapids
+

software/applications/pytorch.rst

@@ -6,44 +6,57 @@ PyTorch
 `PyTorch <https://pytorch.org/>`__ is an end-to-end machine learning framework.
 PyTorch enables fast, flexible experimentation and efficient production through a user-friendly front-end, distributed training, and ecosystem of tools and libraries.
 
-The main method of distribution for PyTorch is via :ref:`Conda <software-applications-conda>`.
+The main method of distribution for PyTorch is via :ref:`Conda <software-applications-conda>`, with :ref:`Open-CE<software-applications-open-ce>` providing a simple method for installing multiple machine learning frameworks into a single conda environment.
 
-For more information on the usage of PyTorch, see the `Online Documentation <https://pytorch.org/docs/>`__.
+The upstream Conda and pip distributions do not provide ppc64le pytorch packages at this time. 
 
-PyTorch Quickstart
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Installing via Conda
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+With a working Conda installation (see :ref:`Installing Miniconda<software-applications-conda-installing>`) the following instructions can be used to create a Python 3.9 conda environment named ``torch`` with the latest Open-CE provided PyTorch:
+
+.. note:: 
+
+   Pytorch installations via conda can be relatively large. Consider installing your miniconda (and therfore your conda environments) to the ``/nobackup`` file store.
 
-The following should get you set up with a working conda environment (replacing <project> with your project code):
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
-    export DIR=/nobackup/projects/<project>/$USER
-    # rm -rf ~/.conda ~/.condarc $DIR/miniconda # Uncomment if you want to remove old env
-    mkdir $DIR
-    pushd $DIR
+   # Create a new conda environment named torch-env within your conda installation
+   conda create -y --name torch-env python=3.8
+
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate torch-env
+
+   # Add the OSU Open-CE conda channel to the current environment config
+   conda config --env --prepend channels https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/current/
 
-    # Download the latest miniconda installer for ppcle64
-    wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh
-    # Validate the file checksum matches is listed on https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda_hashes.html.
-    sha256sum Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh
+   # Also use strict channel priority
+   conda config --env --set channel_priority strict
+
+   # Install the latest available version of PyTorch
+   conda install -y pytorch
+
+In subsequent interactive sessions, and when submitting batch jobs which use PyTorch, you will then need to re-activate the conda environment.
+
+For example, to verify that PyTorch is available and print the version:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
 
-    sh Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh -b -p $DIR/miniconda
-    source miniconda/bin/activate
-    conda update conda -y
-    conda config --set channel_priority strict
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate torch-env
 
-    conda config --prepend channels \
-            https://public.dhe.ibm.com/ibmdl/export/pub/software/server/ibm-ai/conda/
+   # Invoke python
+   python3 -c "import torch;print(torch.__version__)"
 
-    conda config --prepend channels \
-            https://opence.mit.edu
 
-    conda create --name opence pytorch=1.7.1 -y
-    conda activate opence
+Installation via the upstream Conda channel is not currently possible, due to the lack of ``ppc64le`` or ``noarch`` distributions.
 
 
-This has some limitations such as not supporting large model support. 
-If you require LMS, please see the :ref:`WMLCE <software-applications-wmlce>` page.
+.. note::
+
+   The :ref:`Open-CE<software-applications-open-ce>` distribution of PyTorch does not include IBM technologies such as DDL or LMS, which were previously available via :ref:`WMLCE<software-applications-wmlce>`. 
+   WMLCE is not supported on RHEL 8.
 
 
 Further Information

software/applications/tensorflow.rst

@@ -1,43 +1,58 @@
-.. _software-python-tensorflow:
+.. _software-applications-tensorflow:
 
 TensorFlow
 ----------
 
 `TensorFlow <https://www.tensorflow.org/>`__ is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. It has a comprehensive, flexible ecosystem of tools, libraries and community resources that lets researchers push the state-of-the-art in ML and developers easily build and deploy ML powered applications.
 
-TensorFlow Quickstart
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+TensorFlow can be installed through a number of python package managers such as :ref:`Conda<software-applications-conda>` or ``pip``.
+
+For use on Bede, the simplest method is to install TensorFlow using the :ref:`Open-CE Conda distribution<software-applications-open-ce>`.
+
+
+Installing via Conda (Open-CE)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+With a working Conda installation (see :ref:`Installing Miniconda<software-applications-conda-installing>`) the following instructions can be used to create a Python 3.8 conda environment named ``tf-env`` with the latest Open-CE provided TensorFlow:
+
+.. note:: 
+
+   TensorFlow installations via conda can be relatively large. Consider installing your miniconda (and therfore your conda environments) to the ``/nobackup`` file store.
 
-The following should get you set up with a working conda environment (replacing ``<project>`` with your project code):
 
 .. code-block:: bash
 
-    export DIR=/nobackup/projects/<project>/$USER
-    # rm -rf ~/.conda ~/.condarc $DIR/miniconda # Uncomment if you want to remove old env
-    mkdir $DIR
-    pushd $DIR
+   # Create a new conda environment named tf-env within your conda installation
+   conda create -y --name tf-env python=3.8
 
-    # Download the latest miniconda installer for ppcle64
-    wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh
-    # Validate the file checksum matches is listed on https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda_hashes.html.
-    sha256sum Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate tf-env
 
-    sh Miniconda3-latest-Linux-ppc64le.sh -b -p $DIR/miniconda
-    source miniconda/bin/activate
-    conda update conda -y
+   # Add the OSU Open-CE conda channel to the current environment config
+   conda config --env --prepend channels https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/open-ce/current/
 
-    conda config --prepend channels \
-            https://public.dhe.ibm.com/ibmdl/export/pub/software/server/ibm-ai/conda/
+   # Also use strict channel priority
+   conda config --env --set channel_priority strict
+
+   # Install the latest available version of Tensorflow
+   conda install -y tensorflow
+
+In subsequent interactive sessions, and when submitting batch jobs which use TensorFlow, you will then need to re-activate the conda environment.
+
+For example, to verify that TensorFlow is available and print the version:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
 
-    conda config --prepend channels \
-            https://opence.mit.edu
+   # Activate the conda environment
+   conda activate tf-env
 
-    conda create --name opence tensorflow -y
-    conda activate opence
+   # Invoke python
+   python3 -c "import tensorflow;print(tensorflow.__version__)"
 
 .. note::
-
-   This conflicts with the :ref:`PyTorch <software-applications-pytorch>` instructions as they set the conda channel_priority to be strict which seems to cause issues when installing TensorFlow.
+
+   The :ref:`Open-CE<software-applications-open-ce>` distribution of TensorFlow does not include IBM technologies such as DDL or LMS, which were previously available via :ref:`WMLCE<software-applications-wmlce>`. 
+   WMLCE is not supported on RHEL 8.
 
 Further Information
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~