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Common Training Patterns
This guide provides common training patterns and use cases for TRL on Hugging Face Jobs.
Multi-GPU Training
Automatic distributed training across multiple GPUs. TRL/Accelerate handles distribution automatically:
hf_jobs("uv", {
"script": """
# Your training script here (same as single GPU)
# No changes needed - Accelerate detects multiple GPUs
""",
"flavor": "a10g-largex2", # 2x A10G GPUs
"timeout": "4h",
"secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}
})
Tips for multi-GPU:
- No code changes needed
- Use
per_device_train_batch_size(per GPU, not total) - Effective batch size =
per_device_train_batch_size×num_gpus×gradient_accumulation_steps - Monitor GPU utilization to ensure both GPUs are being used
DPO Training (Preference Learning)
Train with preference data for alignment:
hf_jobs("uv", {
"script": """
# /// script
# dependencies = ["trl>=0.12.0", "trackio"]
# ///
from datasets import load_dataset
from trl import DPOTrainer, DPOConfig
import trackio
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Create train/eval split
dataset_split = dataset.train_test_split(test_size=0.1, seed=42)
config = DPOConfig(
output_dir="dpo-model",
push_to_hub=True,
hub_model_id="username/dpo-model",
num_train_epochs=1,
beta=0.1, # KL penalty coefficient
eval_strategy="steps",
eval_steps=50,
report_to="trackio",
run_name="baseline_run", # use a meaningful run name
# max_length=1024, # Default - only set if you need different sequence length
)
trainer = DPOTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct", # Use instruct model as base
train_dataset=dataset_split["train"],
eval_dataset=dataset_split["test"], # IMPORTANT: Provide eval_dataset when eval_strategy is enabled
args=config,
)
trainer.train()
trainer.push_to_hub()
trackio.finish()
""",
"flavor": "a10g-large",
"timeout": "3h",
"secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}
})
For DPO documentation: Use hf_doc_fetch("https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/dpo_trainer")
GRPO Training (Online RL)
Group Relative Policy Optimization for online reinforcement learning:
hf_jobs("uv", {
"script": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/trl/main/examples/scripts/grpo.py",
"script_args": [
"--model_name_or_path", "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
"--dataset_name", "trl-lib/math_shepherd",
"--output_dir", "grpo-model",
"--push_to_hub",
"--hub_model_id", "username/grpo-model"
],
"flavor": "a10g-large",
"timeout": "4h",
"secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}
})
For GRPO documentation: Use hf_doc_fetch("https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/grpo_trainer")
Trackio Configuration
Use sensible defaults for trackio setup. See references/trackio_guide.md for complete documentation including grouping runs for experiments.
Basic Pattern
import trackio
trackio.init(
project="my-training",
run_name="baseline-run", # Descriptive name user will recognize
space_id="username/trackio", # Default space: {username}/trackio
config={
# Keep config minimal - hyperparameters and model/dataset info only
"model": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
"dataset": "trl-lib/Capybara",
"learning_rate": 2e-5,
}
)
# Your training code...
trackio.finish()
Grouping for Experiments (Optional)
When user wants to compare related runs, use the group parameter:
# Hyperparameter sweep
trackio.init(project="hyperparam-sweep", run_name="lr-0.001", group="lr_0.001")
trackio.init(project="hyperparam-sweep", run_name="lr-0.01", group="lr_0.01")
Pattern Selection Guide
| Use Case | Pattern | Hardware | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFT training | scripts/train_sft_example.py |
a10g-large | 2-6 hours |
| Large dataset (>10K) | Multi-GPU | a10g-largex2 | 4-12 hours |
| Preference learning | DPO Training | a10g-large | 2-4 hours |
| Online RL | GRPO Training | a10g-large | 3-6 hours |
Critical: Evaluation Dataset Requirements
⚠️ IMPORTANT: If you set eval_strategy="steps" or eval_strategy="epoch", you MUST provide an eval_dataset to the trainer, or the training will hang.
✅ CORRECT - With eval dataset:
dataset_split = dataset.train_test_split(test_size=0.1, seed=42)
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
train_dataset=dataset_split["train"],
eval_dataset=dataset_split["test"], # ← MUST provide when eval_strategy is enabled
args=SFTConfig(eval_strategy="steps", ...),
)
❌ WRONG - Will hang:
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
train_dataset=dataset,
# NO eval_dataset but eval_strategy="steps" ← WILL HANG
args=SFTConfig(eval_strategy="steps", ...),
)
Option: Disable evaluation if no eval dataset
config = SFTConfig(
eval_strategy="no", # ← Explicitly disable evaluation
# ... other config
)
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
train_dataset=dataset,
# No eval_dataset needed
args=config,
)
Best Practices
- Use train/eval splits - Create evaluation split for monitoring progress
- Enable Trackio - Monitor progress in real-time
- Add 20-30% buffer to timeout - Account for loading/saving overhead
- Test with TRL official scripts first - Use maintained examples before custom code
- Always provide eval_dataset - When using eval_strategy, or set to "no"
- Use multi-GPU for large models - 7B+ models benefit significantly
See Also
scripts/train_sft_example.py- Complete SFT template with Trackio and eval splitscripts/train_dpo_example.py- Complete DPO templatescripts/train_grpo_example.py- Complete GRPO templatereferences/hardware_guide.md- Detailed hardware specificationsreferences/training_methods.md- Overview of all TRL training methodsreferences/troubleshooting.md- Common issues and solutions