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AWS ParallelCluster is SLURM underneath, so the flow is the SLURM install with one difference: the install detects ParallelCluster and defaults the shared prefix to /opt/parallelcluster/shared/expanse, so you never pass --shared-prefix. Start in the console’s Add compute panel (or with expanse compute register): it shows the short-lived install token plus your deployment’s control-plane and data-plane URLs and the pinned daemon version, which this guide’s commands take. The token is prompted for during install; it never goes on a command line.

Prefer to delegate? Copy this into an AI assistant with shell access on the head node; it fetches this guide itself, so it always follows the current steps.

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1. Register the compute

In the console, open Compute → Add compute, pick SLURM, and generate an install token. Keep the panel open: it polls registration state live and shows the endpoint URLs used below.

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2. Install the CLI on the head node

SSH to the cluster’s head node (it runs slurmctld) and install the CLI if it is missing:

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3. Install the controller daemon on the head node

Using the control-plane and data-plane URLs and the daemon version from the Add compute panel:
--daemon-version downloads the daemon release and verifies its signed manifest, checksum, and cosign signature before installing. The preflight recognises ParallelCluster, resolves the shared prefix to /opt/parallelcluster/shared/expanse, and plans hook wiring against ParallelCluster’s managed SLURM config using drop-in directories where they exist. Preflight runs before the token is exchanged, so a failure never burns the short-lived token, and a failed install rolls itself back.

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4. Samplers on compute nodes

Each compute node runs a credential-less sampler:
Static nodes: run it once per node. Dynamically scaled queues: run it at node boot, for example from an OnNodeConfigured custom bootstrap action or a custom AMI, so freshly launched instances join automatically. The binary and spool live on the shared ParallelCluster mount, so the per-node step only installs and enables the sampler systemd unit.

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5. Verify

The compute flips to active in the console when the token is exchanged and shows a heartbeat within a minute. Job capture needs no change to how anyone submits.