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SYNTAX
C Syntax
#include <mpi.h>
int MPI_Publish_name(const char *service_name, MPI_Info info,
const char *port_name)
Fortran Syntax
USE MPI
! or the older form: INCLUDE 'mpif.h'
MPI_PUBLISH_NAME(SERVICE_NAME, INFO, PORT_NAME, IERROR)
CHARACTER*(*) SERVICE_NAME, PORT_NAME
INTEGER INFO, IERROR
Fortran 2008 Syntax
USE mpi_f08
MPI_Publish_name(service_name, info, port_name, ierror)
TYPE(MPI_Info), INTENT(IN) :: info
CHARACTER(LEN=*), INTENT(IN) :: service_name, port_name
INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror
INPUT PARAMETERS
• service_name: A service name (string).
• info: Options to the name service functions (handle).
• port_name: A port name (string).
OUTPUT PARAMETER
• ierror: Fortran only: Error status (integer).
DESCRIPTION
This routine publishes the pair (service_name, port_name) so that an application may retrieve port_name
by calling MPI_Lookup_name with service_name as an argument. It is an error to publish the same
service_name twice, or to use a port_name argument that was not previously opened by the calling process
via a call to MPI_Open_port.
INFO ARGUMENTS
The following keys for info are recognized:
Key Type Description
--- ---- -----------
ompi_global_scope bool If set to true, publish the name in
the global scope. Publish in the local
scope otherwise. See the NAME SCOPE
section for more details.
ompi_unique bool If set to true, return an error if the
specified service_name already exists.
Default to overwriting any pre-existing
value.
bool info keys are actually strings but are evaluated as follows: if the string value is a number, it is
converted to an integer and cast to a boolean (meaning that zero integers are false and non-zero values
are true). If the string value is (case-insensitive) “yes” or “true”, the boolean is true. If the string
value is (case-insensitive) “no” or “false”, the boolean is false. All other string values are
unrecognized, and therefore false.
If no info key is provided, the function will first check to see if a global server has been specified
and is available. If so, then the publish function will default to global scope first, followed by local.
Otherwise, the data will default to publish with local scope.
NAME SCOPE
Open MPI supports two name scopes: global and local. Local scope will place the specified service/port
pair in a data store located on the mpirun of the calling process’ job. Thus, data published with local
scope will only be accessible to processes in jobs spawned by that mpirun - e.g., processes in the
calling process’ job, or in jobs spawned via MPI_Comm_spawn.
Global scope places the specified service/port pair in a data store located on a central server that is
accessible to all jobs running in the cluster or environment. Thus, data published with global scope can
be accessed by multiple mpiruns and used for MPI_Comm_connect and MPI_Comm_accept between jobs.
Note that global scope operations require both the presence of the central server and that the calling
process be able to communicate to that server. MPI_Publish_name will return an error if global scope is
specified and a global server is either not specified or cannot be found.
Open MPI provides a server called ompi-server to support global scope operations. Please refer to its
manual page for a more detailed description of data store/lookup operations.
As an example of the impact of these scoping rules, consider the case where a job has been started with
mpirun - call this job “job1”. A process in job1 creates and publishes a service/port pair using a local
scope. Open MPI will store this data in the data store within mpirun.
A process in job1 (perhaps the same as did the publish, or perhaps some other process in the job)
subsequently calls MPI_Comm_spawn to start another job (call it “job2”) under this mpirun. Since the two
jobs share a common mpirun, both jobs have access to local scope data. Hence, a process in job2 can
perform an MPI_Lookup_name with a local scope to retrieve the information.
However, assume another user starts a job using mpirun - call this job “job3”. Because the service/port
data published by job1 specified local scope, processes in job3 cannot access that data. In contrast, if
the data had been published using global scope, then any process in job3 could access the data, provided
that mpirun was given knowledge of how to contact the central server and the process could establish
communication with it.
ERRORS
Almost all MPI routines return an error value; C routines as the return result of the function and
Fortran routines in the last argument.
Before the error value is returned, the current MPI error handler associated with the communication
object (e.g., communicator, window, file) is called. If no communication object is associated with the
MPI call, then the call is considered attached to MPI_COMM_SELF and will call the associated MPI error
handler. When MPI_COMM_SELF is not initialized (i.e., before MPI_Init/MPI_Init_thread, after
MPI_Finalize, or when using the Sessions Model exclusively) the error raises the initial error handler.
The initial error handler can be changed by calling MPI_Comm_set_errhandler on MPI_COMM_SELF when using
the World model, or the mpi_initial_errhandler CLI argument to mpiexec or info key to MPI_Comm_spawn/‐
MPI_Comm_spawn_multiple. If no other appropriate error handler has been set, then the MPI_ERRORS_RETURN
error handler is called for MPI I/O functions and the MPI_ERRORS_ABORT error handler is called for all
other MPI functions.
Open MPI includes three predefined error handlers that can be used:
• MPI_ERRORS_ARE_FATAL Causes the program to abort all connected MPI processes.
• MPI_ERRORS_ABORT An error handler that can be invoked on a communicator, window, file, or session. When
called on a communicator, it acts as if MPI_Abort was called on that communicator. If called on a
window or file, acts as if MPI_Abort was called on a communicator containing the group of processes in
the corresponding window or file. If called on a session, aborts only the local process.
• MPI_ERRORS_RETURN Returns an error code to the application.
MPI applications can also implement their own error handlers by calling:
• MPI_Comm_create_errhandler then MPI_Comm_set_errhandler
• MPI_File_create_errhandler then MPI_File_set_errhandler
• MPI_Session_create_errhandler then MPI_Session_set_errhandler or at MPI_Session_init
• MPI_Win_create_errhandler then MPI_Win_set_errhandler
Note that MPI does not guarantee that an MPI program can continue past an error.
See the MPI man page for a full list of MPI error codes.
See the Error Handling section of the MPI-3.1 standard for more information.
SEE ALSO:
• MPI_Lookup_name
• MPI_Open_port
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2003-2025, The Open MPI Community
Feb 17, 2025 MPI_PUBLISH_NAME(3)