README.md

Polygames for Nix users

Nix is a package manager that can be installed on any Linux distribution (you just need root permissions to create the /nix directory). Alternatively, NixOS is a Linux distribution based on Nix.

Polygames is quite easy to use with Nix and NixOS, as explained below. See also the Dockerfile.

Get Polygames

• Clone the repo:

  git clone https://github.com/facebookincubator/polygames.git
  cd Polygames
  

Configure your system (NixOS)

• With NixOS, if you want to run Polygames on CPU, you have nothing to configure.

• If you want to run Polygames on CUDA devices, check that the Nvidia driver is enable in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix (don't forget to rebuild and reboot the system, if necessary):

    services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "nvidia" ];
    nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true;
  

Configure your system (Nix + Linux)

• Install Nix:

  curl https://nixos.org/releases/nix/latest/install | sh
  echo "source $HOME/.nix-profile/etc/profile.d/nix.sh" >> $HOME/.bashrc
  source $HOME/.bashrc
  

• If you want to run Polygames on CUDA devices:

  • Install the Nvidia driver using your Linux distribution.

  • Check that nvidia-smi is also installed.

  • Get the Nvidia driver version and write the nvidia.json config file:

    ./nix/get-nvidia.sh
    

Build & run Polygames

• Activate the binary cache (optional if you like compiling for hours):

  nix-env -iA nixpkgs.cachix
  cachix use polygames
  

  Warning: this cache provides pre-built binaries for CPU and for Nvidia 418.74 only but you can build your own binary cache.

• Open a nix-shell:

  • CPU:

    nix-shell nix/shell-cpu.nix
    

  • CUDA:

    nix-shell nix/shell-cuda.nix
    

• Build Polygames:

  mkdir build
  cd build
  cmake -DPYTORCH12=ON ..
  make -j4
  cd ..
  

• Run Polygames:

  • CPU:

    python -m pypolygames train --game_name="Connect4" --device=cpu
    

  • CUDA:

    python -m pypolygames train --game_name="Connect4" --device=cuda:0
    

Build you own binary cache

When you open a nix-shell for the first time, Nix/NixOS fetches and builds all the required dependencies. This cachix repo provides some pre-built dependencies that should greatly speed-up the installation.

However, if your Nvidia driver version is not in the cache, you have to build CUDA/Pytorch/etc. You can upload the built binaries to reuse them on other machines:

• Create a (free) account on cachix.

• Create a repo on cachix.

• Push your binaries to this repo:

  find /nix/store -maxdepth 1 -name "*pytorch*" -exec cachix push <my-cachix-repo> {} \;
  

• Use your repo when you install/configure Polygames on a new machine:

  cachix use <my-cachix-repo>