# 2.16. Parallel simulations and networks¶

A typical ANNarchy script represents a single network of populations and projections. Most of the work in computational neuroscience consists in running the same network again and again, varying some free parameters each time, until the fit to the data is publishable. The reset() allows to return the network to its state before compilation, but this is particularly tedious to implement.

In order to run different networks using the same script, the Network object can be used to make copies of existing objects (populations, projections and monitors) and simulate them either sequentially or in parallel.

Let’s suppose the following dummy network is defined:

pop1 = PoissonPopulation(100, rates=10.0)
pop2 = Population(100, Izhikevich)
proj = Projection(pop1, pop2, 'exc')
proj.connect_fixed_probability(weights=5.0, probability=0.2)
m = Monitor(pop2, 'spike')

compile()


One would like to compare the firing patterns in pop2 when:

• There is no input to pop2.
• The Poisson input is at 10 Hz.
• The Poisson input is at 20 Hz.

Warning

Running multiple networks in parallel is not supported on CUDA.

## 2.16.1. Multiple networks¶

One can create three Network objects to implement the three conditions:

net1 = Network()
net1.compile()


The network is created empty, and the population pop2 as well as the attached monitor are added to it through the add() method. This method takes a list of objects (populations, projections and monitors).

The network has then to be compiled by calling the compile() method specifically on the network. The network can be simulated independently by calling simulate() or simulate_until() on the network.

The basic network, with inputs at 10 Hz, can be simulated directly using the normal methods, or copied into a new network:

net2 = Network()
net2.compile()


Here, all defined objects are added to the network. It would be easier to pass the everything argument of the Network constructor as True, which has the same effect. We can use this for the third network:

net3 = Network(everything=True)
net3.get(pop1).rates = 20.0
net3.compile()


Here, the population pop1 of the third network has to be accessed though the get() method. The data corresponding to pop1 will not be the same as for net3.get(pop1), only the geometry and neuron models are the same.

Once a network is compiled, it can be simulated (but it does not matter if the other networks are also compiled, including the “original” network):

net1.simulate(1000.)
net2.simulate(1000.)
net3.simulate(1000.)


Spike recordings have to be accessed per network, through the copies of the monitor m:

t1, n1 = net1.get(m).raster_plot()
t2, n2 = net2.get(m).raster_plot()
t3, n3 = net3.get(m).raster_plot()


One can then plot them separately and be not surprised by the fact that the firing rates in pop2 increase with the ones in pop1...

Note

Networks only work on copies of the corresponding objects at the time they are added to the network. It is no use to modify the rates parameter of pop1 after the network are created.

Similarly, it is useless to read variables from the original objects if only the networks are simulated: they would still have their original values.

Warning

If you initialize some variables randomly, for example:

pop2.v = -60. + 10. * np.random.random(100)


they will have the same value in all networks, they are not drawn again. You need to perform random initialization on each network:

net1.get(pop2).v = -60. + 10. * np.random.random(100)
net2.get(pop2).v = -60. + 10. * np.random.random(100)
net3.get(pop2).v = -60. + 10. * np.random.random(100)


On the contrary, connection methods having a random components (e.g. connect_fixed_probability() or using weights=Uniform(0.0, 1.0)) will be redrawn for each network.

Warning

Global simulation methods (Module ANNarchy) should not be called directly, even with the net_id parameter. The Network class overrides them:

net.step()
net.simulate()
net.simulate_until()
net.reset()
net.get_time()
net.set_time(t)
net.get_current_step()
net.set_current_step(t)
net.set_seed(seed)
net.enable_learning()
net.disable_learning()
net.get_population(name)


## 2.16.2. Parallel simulations¶

### 2.16.2.1. With independent networks¶

The three previous networks will be simulated sequentially per definition. As they are very small, they won’t beneficiate much from parallelization with OpenMP or CUDA. A potential way to speed-up the computations is to perform the simulations in parallel, what can be useful on a machine with multiple cores.

One has to define a method for the simulation:

def simulation(idx, net):
net.simulate(1000.)


The first argument to this method MUST be an integer corresponding to the index of a network, the second MUST be a network object. Other arguments are allowed (see below)

One can then call the parallel_run() method and pass it the method, as well as a list of networks to apply this network:

parallel_run(method=simulation, networks=[net1, net2, net3])


This will apply simulation() in parallel on the 3 networks, reducing the total computation time. idx will be 0 for net1, 1 for net2 and so on.

parallel_run() returns a list of the values returned by the passed method. For example, instead of accessing all the monitors after the simulation, one could return directly the raster plots:

def simulation(idx, net):
net.simulate(1000.)
return net.get(m).raster_plot()

results = parallel_run(method=simulation, networks=[net1, net2, net3])

t1, n1 = results[0]
t2, n2 = results[1]
t3, n3 = results[2]


### 2.16.2.2. On the same network¶

In the previous example, only net1 is structurally different from the other networks. The networks have to be compiled independently, which can take a long time for complex networks.

A more common use case manipulates a single network and iterates over the values of some parameters to run the exact same simulation. It is possible to use parallel_run() for that, by passing a number argument, instead of networks:

pop1 = PoissonPopulation(100, rates=10.0)
pop2 = Population(100, Izhikevich)
proj = Projection(pop1, pop2, 'exc')
proj.connect_fixed_probability(weights=5.0, probability=0.2)
m = Monitor(pop2, 'spike')

compile()

def simulation(idx, net):
net.get(pop1).rates = 10. * idx
net.simulate(1000.)
return net.get(m).raster_plot()

results = parallel_run(method=simulation, number = 3)

t1, n1 = results[0]
t2, n2 = results[1]
t3, n3 = results[2]


The simulation() is called over three internally-created networks (with everything=True). As idx = [0, 1, 2], the input rates of each network is [0, 10., 20.], so this method is functionally equivalent to the previous script, with the assumption that an input rate of 0.0 is the same as having no input at all.

As before, the content of the simulation() method should only manipulate the network object, not the original objects (pop1.rate = 10. * idx won’t have any effect).

Note

You do not have access on the internally-created networks after the simulation (they are in a separate memory space). Return the data you want to analyze or write them to disk.

The two first obligatory arguments of the simulation callback are idx, the index of the network in the simulation, and net, the network object. You can of course use other names, but these two arguments will be passed.

idx can be used for example to access arrays of parameter values:

rates = [0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4]
def simulation(idx, net):
net.get(pop1).rates = rates[idx]
...

results = parallel_run(method=simulation, number=len(rates))


Another option is to provide additional arguments to the simulation callback during the parallel_run() call:

def simulation(idx, net, rates):
net.get(pop1).rates = rates
...

rates = [0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4]
results = parallel_run(method=simulation, number=len(rates), rates=rates)


These additional arguments must be lists of the same size as the number of networks (number or len(networks)). You can use as many additional arguments as you want:

def simulation(idx, net, a, b, c, d):
...
results = parallel_run(method=simulation, number=10, a=..., b=..., c=..., d=...)


In parallel_run(), the arguments can be passed in any order, but they must be named (e.g. , a=list(range(0)),, not , list(range(10)),).