slurmdbd

SlurmDBD (Slurm Database Daemon) is a component of the Slurm workload manager that provides centralized accounting and resource management for clusters running Slurm. It stores job, user, and account information in a relational database, typically MariaDB or MySQL, and makes this data available to Slurm daemons, the sacct accounting commands, and web‑based reporting tools. By separating accounting from the scheduler, SlurmDBD allows multiple Slurm controllers to share a consistent view of historic and real‑time usage without requiring direct database access from each controller.

The daemon runs as a long‑lived service and communicates with the Slurm controller (slurmctld) over a secure RPC channel. It records job start and end times, resource consumption, and user‑defined attributes such as associations, QoS, and reservations. Administrators can define hierarchical accounts, set usage limits, and generate chargeback reports using the data collected by SlurmDBD. The database schema includes tables for jobs, steps, clusters, users, accounts, and resource usage, facilitating complex queries and custom analytics.

Configuration of SlurmDBD is performed in slurmdbd.conf, where the database connection parameters, authentication method, and daemon behavior are specified. Security can be enhanced with TLS encryption and Kerberos authentication. The daemon can be run in a high‑availability mode by deploying multiple instances with a shared database, but only one instance is active at a time to avoid conflicts.

Typical usage scenarios include large HPC centers that need detailed billing, usage tracking across multiple clusters, and policy enforcement based on account allocations. SlurmDBD is integral to the Slurm ecosystem, providing the accounting backbone that supports fair‑share scheduling, quota management, and historical reporting.