Complete Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 12 shortcuts across 3 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) is a popular MPI benchmark suite for validating cluster performance used by professionals worldwide. Learning keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.
This page covers all 12 Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) shortcuts across 3 categories: Single Transfer (IMB-MPI1), Collective Benchmarks, Control Flags. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPong | PingPong test | Measure point-to-point latency and bandwidth between two ranks. |
| mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPing | PingPing test | Measure bidirectional latency with both ranks sending simultaneously. |
| mpirun -np 4 IMB-MPI1 Sendrecv | Sendrecv test | Measure bandwidth in a periodic ring communication pattern. |
| mpirun -np 4 IMB-MPI1 Exchange | Exchange test | Measure bandwidth when each rank exchanges data with both neighbors. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| mpirun -np 8 IMB-MPI1 Allreduce | Allreduce test | Benchmark the MPI_Allreduce collective operation. |
| mpirun -np 8 IMB-MPI1 Allgather | Allgather test | Benchmark the MPI_Allgather collective operation. |
| mpirun -np 8 IMB-MPI1 Alltoall | Alltoall test | Benchmark the MPI_Alltoall collective operation. |
| mpirun -np 8 IMB-MPI1 Bcast | Broadcast test | Benchmark the MPI_Bcast collective operation. |
| mpirun -np 8 IMB-MPI1 Barrier | Barrier test | Benchmark MPI_Barrier synchronization overhead. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -msglog min:max | Set message size range | Set transfer sizes as powers of two, e.g. 2:16 for 4 bytes up to 64KB. |
| -include name | Include benchmark | Add a specific benchmark to the run alongside the defaults. |
| -npmin n | Minimum process count | Set the minimum number of active processes for a benchmark. |
The most essential Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) shortcuts are: mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPong (PingPong test), mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPing (PingPing test), mpirun -np 4 IMB-MPI1 Sendrecv (Sendrecv test). These cover the most frequent actions and can significantly speed up your workflow.
Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) has 12 keyboard shortcuts across 3 categories on shortcut-tools.com.
These are command-line commands — type them in your terminal or console. Combine them with shell history search (Ctrl + R) and aliases to work even faster.
The Intel MPI Benchmarks (IMB) shortcut for pingpong test is mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPong. Measure point-to-point latency and bandwidth between two ranks.
Start with the essentials: Learn mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPong (PingPong test) and mpirun -np 2 IMB-MPI1 PingPing (PingPing test) first — these are the most commonly used.
Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.
Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the Single Transfer (IMB-MPI1) category first.
Infrastructure tip: Bookmark this page for quick reference during maintenance windows when speed matters most.