Complete OSU Micro-Benchmarks keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 12 shortcuts across 3 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
OSU Micro-Benchmarks is a popular MPI communication micro-benchmark suite 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 OSU Micro-Benchmarks shortcuts across 3 categories: Point-to-Point Tests, Collective Tests, GPU & Launch Options. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| osu_latency | Latency test | Measure round-trip latency for a single point-to-point message between two ranks. |
| osu_bw | Bandwidth test | Measure unidirectional bandwidth between two ranks. |
| osu_bibw | Bidirectional bandwidth | Measure bidirectional bandwidth with both ranks sending simultaneously. |
| osu_multi_lat | Multi-pair latency | Measure latency across multiple simultaneous rank pairs. |
| osu_mbw_mr | Multi bandwidth/message rate | Measure aggregate bandwidth and message rate across multiple pairs. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| osu_allreduce | Allreduce latency | Measure MPI_Allreduce collective latency across all ranks. |
| osu_allgather | Allgather latency | Measure MPI_Allgather collective latency. |
| osu_alltoall | Alltoall latency | Measure MPI_Alltoall collective latency. |
| osu_bcast | Broadcast latency | Measure MPI_Bcast collective latency from a root rank. |
| osu_reduce | Reduce latency | Measure MPI_Reduce collective latency to a root rank. |
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| mpirun -np 2 osu_bw d d | GPU-to-GPU test | Run the bandwidth test with buffers on the accelerator device ('D') instead of host memory ('H'). |
| osu_latency -m 2:128 | Set message range | Limit the test to message sizes between 2 and 128 bytes. |
The most essential OSU Micro-Benchmarks shortcuts are: osu_latency (Latency test), osu_bw (Bandwidth test), osu_bibw (Bidirectional bandwidth). These cover the most frequent actions and can significantly speed up your workflow.
OSU Micro-Benchmarks 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 OSU Micro-Benchmarks shortcut for latency test is osu_latency. Measure round-trip latency for a single point-to-point message between two ranks.
Start with the essentials: Learn osu_latency (Latency test) and osu_bw (Bandwidth 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 Point-to-Point Tests category first.
Infrastructure tip: Bookmark this page for quick reference during maintenance windows when speed matters most.