This topic provides answers to some frequently asked questions about Elastic GPU Service.

Why do Windows GPU-accelerated instances not support features such as DirectX?

Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) does not support applications such as DirectX and Open Graphics Library (OpenGL). You must install TightVNC and TightVNC clients or remote connection clients that support protocols such as PC over IP (PCoIP) and XenDesktop HDX 3D on your Windows GPU-accelerated instances.

Do GPU-accelerated instances support Android emulators?

Only the following GPU-accelerated compute-optimized ECS Bare Metal Instance families support Android emulators: ebmgn7eGPU, ebmgn7i, ebmgn7, ebmgn6ia, ebmgn6e, ebmgn6v, and ebmgn6i.

Can I change the instance types of GPU-accelerated instances?

You can upgrade or downgrade the instance types of GPU-accelerated instances within the same instance family except for the following instance families:
  • gn5: GPU-accelerated compute-optimized instance family that uses local storage
  • vgn5i: vGPU-accelerated instance family

For more information about the GPU-accelerated instance families for which you can change instance types, see Instance families that support instance type changes.

Do pay-as-you-go GPU-accelerated instances support the economical mode?

The GPU-accelerated instance families that use local storage, such as gn5, do not support the economical mode. For more information about the economical mode, see Economical mode.

How do I view GPU monitoring data?

You can log on to the CloudMonitor console or call the DescribeMetricList operation to view the GPU monitoring data. For more information, see GPU monitoring.

How do I transmit data between GPU-accelerated instances and regular ECS instances?

GPU-accelerated instances deliver the same level of experience as regular Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances. GPU-accelerated instances also provide GPU acceleration. By default, data can be transmitted between GPU-accelerated instances and regular ECS instances that belong to the same security group over an internal network. You do not need to configure network connectivity.

What are the differences between GPUs and CPUs?

The following table describes the differences between GPUs and CPUs.
Item GPU CPU
Arithmetic logic unit A large number of arithmetic logic units that can be used for large-scale parallel computing. A small number of powerful arithmetic logic units.
Logic control unit Simple logic control units. Complex logic control units.
Cache A small size of cache that is used for threads and cannot store accessed data. A large size of cache that stores data to increase the speed of data access and reduce latency.
Response mode GPUs can integrate all tasks before the GPUs perform batch processing. CPUs can respond to a task in real time.
Scenario Compute-intensive, high-throughput scenarios in which multiple threads run in parallel to process highly similar tasks. Serial computing scenarios in which complex logic and high response speeds are required.

Can regular ECS instance families be upgraded or changed to GPU-accelerated instance families?

No, regular ECS instance families cannot be upgraded or changed to GPU-accelerated instance families.

For more information about the GPU-accelerated instance families for which you can change instance types, see Instance families that support instance type changes.

What do I do if a black screen appears on a VNC client when I use the VNC client to connect to a Windows GPU-accelerated instance on which a GRID driver is installed?

Cause: After you install a GRID driver on a Windows GPU-accelerated instance, the GRID driver controls the output display of the VM in the instance. The Virtual Network Console (VNC) client can no longer obtain the output display that is processed by the integrated GPU on the instance. Then, a black screen appears on the VNC client. This issue is normal.

Solution: Connect to the GPU-accelerated instance from a client on your computer. For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance by using a username and password.

Why am I unable to view GPUs by running the nvidia-smi command after I purchase GPU-accelerated instances?

In most cases, you cannot view GPUs by running the nvidia-smi command because GPU-accelerated instances or NVIDIA drivers are not installed. You can install drivers based on the instance families to which the GPU-accelerated instances belong. The following information describes the drivers that you can install and how to install the drivers: For more information about where drivers can be used and how to install the drivers, see Installation guideline for NVIDIA drivers.

How do I view the details of the GPUs that are used by GPU-accelerated instances?

The methods that you can use to view the details of the GPUs vary based on the OS types of your GPU-accelerated instances. The following information describes how to view the details:
  • If your GPU-accelerated instances run Linux, run the nvidia-smi command to view the details of the GPUs.
  • If your GPU-accelerated instances run Windows, view the details of the GPUs in Device Manager from your computer.

If you want to view the information such as the idle rate, utilization, temperature, and power about the GPUs, go to the CloudMonitor console. For more information, see GPU monitoring.

Which drivers do I need to install on vGPU-accelerated instances?

The instances of vGPU-accelerated instance families such as vgn6i and vgn5i are configured with vGPUs that are generated from GPU virtualization based on the mediated pass-through method. You can install only GRID drivers on these instances. You must install GRID drivers based on the OS types of your vGPU-accelerated instances. The following information describes how to install the drivers:

What issue causes the CUDA version to become inconsistent after I create and install a GPU-accelerated instance?

After you run the nvidia-smi command, the system displays the latest CUDA version that the GPU-accelerated instance can support instead of the version that you selected when you created the GPU-accelerated instance.

Which drivers do I need to install when I use tools such as OpenGL and Direct3D for graphics computing on GPU-accelerated compute-optimized instances?

You can install drivers on GPU-accelerated compute-optimized instances based on the OS types of the instances. The following information describes the drivers that you can install and how to install the drivers:

How do I obtain GRID licenses?

You can obtain GRID licenses based on the OS types of your GPU-accelerated instances.

How do I obtain cGPU installation packages?

cGPU is a GPU-shared container technology that is available only to enterprise users that pass real-name verification. This technology is unavailable to individual users. If you are an enterprise user,submit a ticket to obtain the cGPU installation packages.