How can I run more than one analysis at a time?

Overview

By default, CAST Imaging executes two concurrent fast scan/analysis jobs on each analysis node. You can modify this setting to increase performance based on your infrastructure needs.

Updated in ≥ 3.6.9-funcrel

You can set the number of parallel jobs for each node from the UI, with no file edit or restart. See Change the number of jobs a node runs at once. The value in the configuration file described below is used as the default: when you update an installation that uses a custom value, the UI displays that value after the update. Once you change the value in the UI, it takes precedence over the configuration file.

⚠️ Warning: Proceed with Caution Increasing parallel executions can overload your analysis node, leading to:

Performance degradation
Timeouts and errors
Job crashes

Recommendations:

Increase the job count by one at a time only
Test thoroughly after each increment
Consider your hardware specifications before making changes
Best practice: Add additional analysis nodes to distribute load rather than increasing parallel jobs on a single node

Configuration process

Step 1 - Locate configuration file

The configuration file exists on each analysis node. If you have multiple nodes, repeat this process for each one.

Microsoft Windows

  %PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\Imaging\CAST-Imaging-Analysis-Node\application.yml

Linux via Docker/Podman - install only (as of 3.6.0-funcrel)

  configuration.conf (provided with the installer)

Linux via Docker/Podman - runtime

  /opt/cast/installation/imaging-node/docker-compose.override.yml

Kubernetes

  values.yml - part of the Helm chart configuration files

The docker-compose.override.yml may not exist - create it if it does not. See Managing docker-compose.yml files for guidance.

If NB_OF_THREADS_FOR_NODE is set in docker-compose.override.yml, it will always override NO_OF_PARALLEL_JOBS_IN_NODE in configuration.conf.

Step 2 - Configure the number of jobs

Edit the configuration file to set your desired parallel job count.

Example: Changing from 2 to 3 parallel jobs:

Microsoft Windows (application.yml)

jobs:
  threadPoolSize: 3

Linux via Docker/Podman (configuration.conf fresh installation only as of 3.6.0-funcrel)

NO_OF_PARALLEL_JOBS_IN_NODE=3

Linux via Docker/Podman (docker-compose.override.yml)

services:
    nodev3:
        environment:
            NB_OF_THREADS_FOR_NODE: 3

Kubernetes (values.yaml)

MaxParallelAnalysisPerNode: 3

The configuration.conf option takes effect when running a fresh install. To change the value on a running system without reinstalling, use docker-compose.override.yml instead.

Save the file after making changes.

Step 3 - Apply the changes

Restart the analysis node service to apply your configuration.

For changes made in configuration.conf, the setting is applied automatically during the install/update process - no manual container restart is required.

Microsoft Windows

Open Services (services.msc)
Locate CAST Imaging Analysis Node
Right-click and select Restart
Repeat for each modified analysis node

Linux via Docker/Podman/Kubernetes

$ cd /opt/cast/installation/imaging-node    # navigate to installation folder    
$ sudo docker compose down                    # stop the containers
$ sudo docker compose up -d                   # start the containers in detached mode
$ sudo docker ps                              # check containers are running

Step 4 - Verification

After restarting the service, monitor your analysis node to ensure:

Jobs complete successfully
System resources remain stable
No timeout or memory errors occur

If issues arise, reduce the parallel job count and restart the service again.