DGX Station User Guide explains how to install, set up, and maintain the NVIDIA® DGX
Station™.
This guide is aimed at users and administrators who are familiar with the Ubuntu
Desktop Linux OS, including use of the command line and the sudo command. For
information about how to use the Ubuntu Desktop Linux OS, refer to Ubuntu Desktop
For details about the DGX OS Desktop software for the DGX Station, refer to DGX OS
Desktop Release Notes.
For information about how to use the DGX Station to download and run containers for
deep learning frameworks, refer to DGX Container Registry User Guide.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|v
About this Guide
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|vi
Chapter1.
INTRODUCTION TO THE NVIDIA® DGX
STATION
The NVIDIA DGX Station is a fast, multi-GPU workstation for deep learning and
AI analytics. You can use the DGX Station to run neural networks, and deploy deep
learning models. Because the DGX Station is software compatible with the NVIDIA
DGX-1 server, you can also use the DGX Station to optimize applications to run on a
production DGX-1 cluster.
™
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|1
1.1.What's in the Box
DGX Station
‣
Accessory boxes containing:
‣
Quick Start Guide
‣
AC power cable
‣
3 DisplayPort™ 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 adapters
‣
USB recovery flash drive containing a backup copy of the operating system
‣
image and CUDA toolkit
DVD-ROM containing source code of open-source software installed on the
‣
DGX Station
Toxic Substance Notice and Safety Instructions
‣
Declaration of Conformity
‣
Repacking Instructions/Intra-Transit
‣
Introduction to the NVIDIA® DGX Station
™
Inspect each piece of equipment in the packing box. If anything is missing or damaged,
contact your supplier.
1.2.DGX OS Desktop Software Summary
The DGX OS Desktop software that is supplied with the DGX Station includes the
software that you need for downloading and running containers for deep learning
frameworks. The software is already installed on the DGX Station, except where
licensing requirements mandate that the software be supplied separately. Any software
that must be supplied separately is installed automatically when the DGX Station is first
powered on.
For details about the DGX OS Desktop software, refer to DGX OS Desktop Release
Notes.
1.3.DGX Station Hardware Summary
Processors
ComponentQtyDescription
CPU1Intel Xeon E5-2698 v4 2.2 GHz (20-Core)
GPU - current units4NVIDIA Tesla® V100-DGXS-32GB with 32 GB per GPU (128 GB total) of
GPU - earlier units4NVIDIA Tesla V100-DGXS-16GB with 16 GB per GPU (64 GB total) of
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|2
GPU memory
GPU memory
System Memory and Storage
Introduction to the NVIDIA® DGX Station
™
Unit
ComponentQty
System memory832 GB256 GBECC Registered LRDIMM DDR4 SDRAM
Data storage31.92 TB5.76 TB2.5" 6 Gb/s SATA III SSD in RAID 0 configuration
OS storage11.92 TB1.92 TB2.5" 6 Gb/s SATA III SSD
Capacity
Total
CapacityDescription
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|3
Chapter2.
SETTING UP THE NVIDIA DGX STATION
Before using the DGX Station, ensure that its initial set-up is complete.
2.1.Siting the DGX Station
Caution
The DGX Station weighs 88 lbs (40 kg). Do not attempt to lift the DGX Station.
Instead, remove the DGX Station from its packaging and move it into position by
rolling it on its fitted casters.
To prevent damage to components inside the DGX Station, do not subject the DGX
Station to excessive vibration or mechanical shock. After moving or transporting the
DGX Station, visually inspect the NVLINK bridge, which connects the GPUs, and the
drive trays in the drive cage to see if they have shifted out of position. If any of these
components has shifted, reseat the component before operating the DGX Station.
Site the DGX Station in a location that is clean, dust-free, well ventilated, and near an
appropriately rated, grounded AC power outlet.
Leave approximately 5" (12.5 cm) of clearance behind and at the sides of the DGX Station
to allow sufficient airflow for cooling the unit.
When operating the DGX Station, keep the ambient temperature and relative humidity
within the following ranges:
Ambient temperature: 10°C to 30°C (50°F to 86°F)
‣
Relative humidity: 10% to 80% (non-condensing)
‣
Always keep the DGX Station upright. Do not lay the unit on its side.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|4
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
2.2.Removing or Replacing the Packing Inside the
DGX Station
To prevent damage to components inside the DGX Station during transit, a foam
packing piece is packed inside the DGX Station. Before you connect and power on the
DGX Station, you must remove this packing piece from inside the DGX Station. If you
are returning the DGX Station to NVIDIA under a return merchandise authorization
(RMA), replace this packing piece before repacking the DGX Station.
Before you begin, ensure that:
The DGX Station is shut down and powered off.
‣
The power cable, all communications cables, and any peripheral devices such as
‣
displays and keyboards are disconnected from the DGX Station.
1.
Push the button on the right side of the DGX Station back panel to release the side
panel on the right of the DGX Station when viewed from the rear.
2.
Lift the panel to remove it.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|5
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
Caution To prevent damage from electrostatic discharge, avoid touching any of
the components inside the DGX Station.
3.
Remove or replace the foam packing piece that surrounds the GPU cards inside the
DGX Station.
To remove the foam packing piece, gently grasp it and pull it towards you.
‣
If you are unpacking an advance-shipped replacement for a unit that you are
returning to NVIDIA under an RMA, retain this foam packing piece with all
other DGX Station packaging. You will need the packaging to repack your
original DGX Station for shipment to NVIDIA.
To replace the foam packing piece, gently push it into position around the GPU
‣
cards inside the DGX Station.
4.
Align the bottom edge of the side panel with the bottom edge of the DGX Station.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|6
5.
Firmly push the panel back into place to re-engage the latches.
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
2.3.Connecting and Powering on the DGX Station
To complete this task you need the following items, which are not supplied with the
DGX Station:
Display with power cable and connector cable terminated in a DisplayPort
‣
connector or HDMI connector
If your display connector cable is terminated in an HDMI connector, you can use one
of the supplied adapters to connect the cable to the DGX Station.
USB keyboard
‣
USB mouse
‣
Ethernet cable
‣
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|7
™
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
1.
Connect a display to any DisplayPort connector and a keyboard and mouse to any
two USB ports.
For initial setup, connect only one display to the DGX Station. After you
complete the initial Ubuntu OS configuration, you can configure the DGX Station
to use multiple displays. For details, see Configuring the DGX Station To Use
Multiple Displays.
2.
Use any of the two Ethernet ports to connect the DGX Station to your LAN with
Internet connectivity.
Connect only one Ethernet port on the DGX Station to the Internet unless you
plan to configure the ports manually and disable DHCP on at least one of the
ports.
By default, both Ethernet ports on the DGX Station are configured for DHCP.
If both the ports are connected simultaneously, each port will get its own
IP address. The IP address that the Linux operating system (OS) uses will
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|8
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
then alternate between these addresses, causing the OS and applications to
malfunction.
3.
Make sure that the power supply rocker switch is in the OFF position.
Current units:
Earlier units:
4.
Connect the supplied power cable from the power socket at the back of the unit to
an appropriately rated, grounded AC outlet.
For details of the power consumption, input voltage, and current rating of the DGX
Station, see Power Specifications.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|9
Current units:
Earlier units:
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
Caution
Use only the supplied power cable and do not use this power cable with any other
products or for any other purpose. Not all power cables have the same current
ratings.
Do not use household extension cables with your product. Household extension
cables do not have overload protection and are not intended for use with
computer systems.
5.
Connect the display to a suitable AC outlet and power on the display.
6.
Move the DGX Station power supply rocker switch to the ON position.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|10
Current units:
Earlier units:
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
7.
Push the Power button on the front of the unit to power on the DGX Station.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|11
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
2.4.Completing the Initial Ubuntu OS
Configuration
When you power on the DGX Station for the first time, you are prompted to accept end
user license agreements for NVIDIA software. You are then guided through the process
for completing the initial Ubuntu OS configuration. As part of this process, you are
prompted to create your user name and password for logging in to the DGX Station.
To protect the DGX Station from unauthorized access, choose a strong password. The
strength of the password you choose is indicated as you type it.
After the Ubuntu OS configuration is complete, you can log in to the DGX Station to
access your Ubuntu desktop.
Updates to the DGX Station software might have been made available after your
DGX Station was manufactured. To ensure that you have the latest DGX Station
software, including security updates, check for updates and install any available
updates before using your DGX Station. For more information, see Updating DGX
Station Software.
2.5.Adding Support for Additional Languages to
the DGX Station
During the initial Ubuntu OS configuration, you are prompted to select the default
language on the DGX Station. If the language that you select is included in the DGX
OS Desktop software image, it is installed in addition to English and you will see that
language after you log in to access your desktop. If the language that you select is not
included, you will still see English after logging in and you will need to install the
language separately.
The following languages are included in the DGX OS Desktop software image:
English
‣
Chinese (Simplified)
‣
French
‣
German
‣
Italian
‣
Portuguese
‣
Russian
‣
Spanish
‣
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|12
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
For information about how to install languages, see Install languages (https://
help.ubuntu.com/16.04/ubuntu-help/prefs-language-install.html) in the Ubuntu Official
Documentation.
2.6.Registering Your DGX Station
Be sure to register your DGX Station with NVIDIA as soon as you receive your purchase
confirmation e-mail. By registering your DGX Station, you will be entitled to receive
technical support, warranty services, and software updates. You will also be able to set
up an NVIDIA DGX Container Registry account.
To register your DGX Station, you will need information provided in your purchase
confirmation e-mail. If you do not have the information, send an e-mail to NVIDIA
Enterprise Support at enterprisesupport@nvidia.com.
1.
From a browser, go to the NVIDIA DGX Product Registration (http://
Enter all required information and then click SUBMIT to complete the registration
process and receive all warranty entitlements and, if applicable, DGX Station
support services entitlements.
2.7.Configuring the DGX Station To Use Multiple
Displays
One of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPU cards in the DGX Station provides three
DisplayPort connectors, enabling you to connect up to three displays to the DGX Station.
If you want to use more than one display with the DGX Station, configure it to use
multiple displays after you complete the initial Ubuntu OS configuration.
1.
Connect the displays that you want to use to the DisplayPort connectors at the rear
of the DGX Station.
Each display is automatically detected as you connect it.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|13
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
2.
Optional: If necessary, adjust the display configuration, such as switching the
primary display, or changing monitor positions or orientation.
a)
From the Ubuntu system menu at the right of the desktop menu bar, choose
System Settings and in the System Settings window that opens, click Displays.
b)
In the Displays window that opens, make the changes to the display settings that
you want and click Apply.
High-resolution displays consume a large quantity of GPU memory. If you have
connected three 4K displays to the DGX Station, they may consume most of the GPU
memory on the NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPU card to which they are connected, especially if
you are running graphics-intensive applications.
If you are running memory-intensive compute workloads on the DGX Station and are
experiencing performance issues, consider conserving GPU memory by reducing or
minimizing the graphics workload.
To reduce the graphics workload, disconnect any additional displays you connected
‣
and use only one display with the DGX Station.
If you disconnect a display from the DGX Station, the disconnection is automatically
detected and the display settings are automatically adjusted for the remaining
displays.
To minimize the graphics workload, shut down the LightDM display manager and
‣
use secure shell (SSH) to log in to the DGX Station remotely.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|14
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
To shut down the LightDM display manager, type the following command:
$ sudo service lightdm stop
To start the LightDM display manager, log in to the DGX Station remotely and type
the following command:
$ sudo service lightdm start
2.8.Enabling Multiple Users to Access the DGX
Station Remotely
To enable multiple users to access the DGX Station remotely, secure shell (SSH) server is
installed and enabled on the DGX Station.
Add other Ubuntu OS users to the DGX Station to allow them to log in remotely to the
DGX Station through SSH.
For information about how to add a user, see Add a new user account (https://
help.ubuntu.com/16.04/ubuntu-help/user-add.html) in the Ubuntu Official
Documentation. For information about how to log in remotely through SSH, see
Connecting to an OpenSSH Server (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SSH/OpenSSH/
ConnectingTo) on the Ubuntu Community Help Wiki.
The DGX Station does not provide any additional isolation guarantees between users
beyond the guarantees that the Ubuntu OS offers. For guidelines about how to secure
access to the DGX Station over SSH, see Configuring an OpenSSH Server (https://
help.ubuntu.com/community/SSH/OpenSSH/Configuring) on the Ubuntu Community
Help Wiki.
2.9.Preparing the DGX Station for Use with
Docker
Some initial setup of the DGX Station is required to ensure that users have the required
privileges to run Docker containers and to prevent IP address conflicts between Docker
and the DGX Station.
2.9.1.Enabling Users To Run Docker Containers
To prevent the docker daemon from running without protection against escalation of
privileges, the Docker software requires sudo privileges to run containers. Meeting this
requirement involves enabling users who will run Docker containers to run commands
with sudo privileges. Therefore, you should ensure that only users whom you trust
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|15
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
and who are aware of the potential risks to the DGX Station of running commands with
sudo privileges are able to run Docker containers.
Before allowing multiple users to run commands with sudo privileges, consult your IT
department to determine whether you would be violating your organization's security
policies. For the security implications of enabling users to run Docker containers, see
Docker daemon attack surface.
You can enable users to run the Docker containers in one of the following ways:
Add each user as an administrator user with sudo privileges.
‣
Add each user as a standard user without sudo privileges and then add the user
‣
to the docker group. This approach is inherently insecure because any user who
can send commands to the docker engine can escalate privilege and run root-user
operations.
To add an existing user to the docker group, run this command:
$ sudo usermod -aG docker user-login-id
user-login-id
The user login ID of the existing user that you are adding to the docker group.
2.9.2.Preventing IP Address Conflicts Between Docker
and the DGX Station
To ensure that the DGX Station can access the network interfaces for Docker containers,
configure the containers to use a subnet distinct from other network resources used
by the DGX Station. By default, Docker uses the 172.17.0.0/16 subnet. If addresses
within this range are already used on the DGX Station network, change the Docker
network to specify the bridge IP address range and container IP address range to be
used by Docker containers.
This task requires sudo privileges.
1.
Open the /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/dockeroverride.conf file in a plain-text editor, such as vi.
$ sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/docker-override.conf
2.
Append the following options to the line that begins ExecStart=/usr/bin/
dockerd, which specifies the command to start the dockerd daemon:
--bip=bridge-ip-address-range
‣
--fixed-cidr=container-ip-address-range
‣
bridge-ip-address-range
The bridge IP address range to be used by Docker containers, for example,
192.168.127.1/24.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|16
Setting Up the NVIDIA DGX Station
container-ip-address-range
The container IP address range to be used by Docker containers, for example,
192.168.127.128/25.
This example shows a complete /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/
docker-override.conf file that has been edited to specify the bridge IP address
range and container IP address range to be used by Docker containers.
Starting with DGX OS Desktop release 3.1.4, the option --disable-legacy-
registry=false is removed from the Docker CE service configuration file
docker-override.conf. The option is removed for compatibility with
Docker CE 17.12 and later.
3.
Save and close the /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/dockeroverride.conf file.
4.
Reload the Docker settings for the systemd daemon.
$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
5.
Restart the docker service.
$ sudo systemctl restart docker
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|17
Chapter3.
UPDATING DGX STATION SOFTWARE
Updates to DGX Station software are available from several sources. These updates
may contain important security vulnerability fixes. You are responsible for updating the
software on the DGX Station from these sources. For details about the available updates,
see Available DGX Station Software Updates.
You can use any of the standard means provided by the Ubuntu Desktop OS to update
this software. For examples, see:
Updating DGX Station Software from the Details Window
‣
Updating DGX Station Software from the Command Line
‣
Caution When you use these means to update software on the DGX Station,
you update all software for which updates are available from your configured
software sources, including applications that you installed yourself. If you
want to prevent an application from being updated, you can instruct the
Ubuntu package manager to keep the current version. For more information,
see Introduction to Holding Packages (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/
PinningHowto#Introduction_to_Holding_Packages) on the Ubuntu Community Help
Wiki.
3.1.Updating DGX Station Software from the
Details Window
When you open the Details window to get information about your DGX Station, the
system checks for updates and, if any updates are available, gives you the option to
install them.
Ensure that you are logged in to your Ubuntu desktop on the DGX Station as an
administrator user.
1.
From the Ubuntu system menu at the top right of the desktop, choose About This
Computer.
The Details window opens and the system checks for updates.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|18
Updating DGX Station Software
2.
In the Details window, click Install Updates.
3.
In the Software Updater window that opens, review the available updates and click
Install Now.
www.nvidia.com
DGX StationDU-08255-001 _v2.1|19
Loading...
+ 58 hidden pages
You need points to download manuals.
1 point = 1 manual.
You can buy points or you can get point for every manual you upload.