Record the selected MPI environment alongside an Azure HPC image version

Source facts

Azure’s HPC images contain preconfigured drivers, MPI libraries, and tuned HPC software. Microsoft documents an installed-component version index at /opt/azurehpc/component_versions.txt. MPI libraries and software packages are exposed as environment modules, with a module-load operation selecting the library or package for use. The image documentation also provides a supported VM-size matrix. Microsoft Learn.

Applicability

Use this review when reproducing a cluster job, comparing performance results, or moving an application to another HPC image version. Confirm the chosen VM family is supported and identify the specific MPI implementation expected by the application.

DSE recommendation

Tie each job’s selected MPI environment to the exact image and installed component inventory. Have the job owner make the module selection explicit in the reviewed launch procedure. Keep the build and runtime environment records together so a later investigation can determine which implementation was intended and actually used. Avoid replacing that evidence with a generic statement that the node runs an HPC image.

Verification

Capture the relevant installed versions and active module selection on representative nodes before running the approved test. Compare those records across the participating nodes and with the application requirements. Run a representative communication task and preserve its observed result alongside the environment evidence. Investigate unexplained differences before combining results from separate runs. Do not infer a performance improvement merely from the presence of a preconfigured library.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Azure HPC/AI VM images. Source reviewed September 9, 2026.