remove ph_ob

doc/src/spokes.rst

@@ -62,30 +62,7 @@ is a sample json file:
 ph_ob
 ^^^^^
 
-This bounder is similar to the Lagrangian bounder, except that it executes a PH
-algorithm to obtain its own W values. The idea is that it can use lower rho values
-so as to obtain better outer (lower when minimizing) bounds. It can also provide
-a Lagrangian bound even if the hub does not provide lagrangian multipliers.
-
-The easiest way to use ``ph_ob`` is via the vanilla ``ph_ob_spoke`` method
-as illustrated in ``examples.farmer.archive.farmer_cylinders.py``. This method takes values
-from the config object (assuming the config object's ``ph_ob`` method
-was called as shown in the function ``examples.farmer.archive.farmer_cylinders._parse_args``)
-and sets up the options for the spoke.
-
-The option ``ph-ob-initial-rho-rescale-factor`` defaults to 0.1, so if nothing
-other than ``--ph-ob`` is given on the command line, the ph_ob spoke will use
-one tenth the default rho (it might use one tenth of rho from
-a rho setter if one is configured in the cylinders program and passed to the ph_ob
-constructor). Additional control over rho values
-is provided by the ``phob-rho-rescale-factors-json`` option which is a json
-file that provides a dictionary with keys that are iteration numbers and values
-that are rescale factors. Note that all rescaling is cummulative.
-
-See ``examples.uc.gradient_uc_cylinders.py`` for an example that uses a cost-based
-rho setter for the uc problem in the ph_ob cylinder.
-
-As of August, 2024 use of a gradient based rho with ph_ob is untested.
+This cylinder was deprecated in August of 2025 in favor of ph_dual.
 
 Reduced Costs
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

examples/afew.py

@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ def do_one(dirname, progname, np, argstring):
 
 
 # for farmer, the first arg is num_scens and is required
-do_one("farmer/archive", "farmer_cylinders.py", 3,
-       "--num-scens=3 --bundles-per-rank=0 --max-iterations=50 "
-       "--default-rho=1 --sep-rho --display-convergence-detail "
-       "--solver-name={} --xhatshuffle --lagrangian --use-norm-rho-updater".format(solver_name))
 do_one("farmer", "farmer_lshapedhub.py", 2,
        "--num-scens=3 --bundles-per-rank=0 --max-iterations=50 "
        "--solver-name={} --rel-gap=0.0 "

examples/distr/distr_admm_cylinders.py

@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ def _parse_args():
     cfg.aph_args()
     cfg.xhatxbar_args()
     cfg.lagrangian_args()
-    cfg.ph_ob_args()
     cfg.tracking_args()
     cfg.add_to_config("run_async",
                          description="Run with async projective hedging instead of progressive hedging",
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@ def _parse_args():
 # This need to be executed long before the cylinders are created
 def _count_cylinders(cfg): 
     count = 1
-    cfglist = ["xhatxbar", "lagrangian", "ph_ob"] # All the cfg arguments that create a new cylinders
+    cfglist = ["xhatxbar", "lagrangian"] # All the cfg arguments that create a new cylinders
     # Add to this list any cfg attribute that would create a spoke
     for cylname in cfglist:
         if cfg[cylname]:
@@ -133,12 +132,7 @@ def main():
                                               rho_setter = None)
 
 
-    # ph outer bounder spoke
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        ph_ob_spoke = vanilla.ph_ob_spoke(*beans,
-                                          scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
-                                          rho_setter = None,
-                                          variable_probability=variable_probability)
+    # ph outer bounder spoke removed August 2025 (use ph_dual)
 
     # xhat looper bound spoke
     if cfg.xhatxbar:
@@ -147,8 +141,6 @@ def main():
     list_of_spoke_dict = list()
     if cfg.lagrangian:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagrangian_spoke)
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        list_of_spoke_dict.append(ph_ob_spoke)
     if cfg.xhatxbar:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(xhatxbar_spoke)
 

examples/farmer/CI/farmer_rho_demo.py

@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ def _parse_args():
     cfg.fwph_args()
     cfg.lagrangian_args()
     cfg.lagranger_args()
-    cfg.ph_ob_args()
     cfg.xhatshuffle_args()
     cfg.dynamic_gradient_args() # gets gradient args for free
     cfg.add_to_config("crops_mult",
@@ -144,11 +143,7 @@ def main():
                                               scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
                                               rho_setter = rho_setter)
 
-    # ph outer bounder spoke
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        ph_ob_spoke = vanilla.ph_ob_spoke(*beans,
-                                          scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
-                                          rho_setter = rho_setter)        
+    # ph outer bounder spoke was removed August 2025
 
     # xhat looper bound spoke
     if cfg.xhatlooper:
@@ -165,8 +160,6 @@ def main():
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagrangian_spoke)
     if cfg.lagranger:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagranger_spoke)
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        list_of_spoke_dict.append(ph_ob_spoke)        
     if cfg.xhatlooper:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(xhatlooper_spoke)
     if cfg.xhatshuffle:

examples/farmer/archive/farmer_cylinders.py

@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ def _parse_args():
     cfg.fwph_args()
     cfg.lagrangian_args()
     cfg.lagranger_args()
-    cfg.ph_ob_args()
     cfg.xhatshuffle_args()
     cfg.converger_args()
     cfg.wxbar_read_write_args()
@@ -154,15 +153,7 @@ def main():
         lagranger_spoke = vanilla.lagranger_spoke(*beans,
                                               scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
                                               rho_setter = rho_setter)
-    # ph outer bounder spoke
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        ph_ob_spoke = vanilla.ph_ob_spoke(*beans,
-                                          scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
-                                          rho_setter = rho_setter)
-        if cfg.sep_rho:
-            vanilla.add_sep_rho(ph_ob_spoke, cfg)
-        if cfg.coeff_rho:
-            vanilla.add_coeff_rho(ph_ob_spoke, cfg)
+    # ph outer bounder spoke removed August 2025
 
     # xhat looper bound spoke
     if cfg.xhatlooper:
@@ -184,8 +175,6 @@ def main():
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagrangian_spoke)
     if cfg.lagranger:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagranger_spoke)
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        list_of_spoke_dict.append(ph_ob_spoke)
     if cfg.xhatlooper:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(xhatlooper_spoke)
     if cfg.xhatshuffle:

examples/run_all.py

@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ def do_one_mmw(dirname, modname, runefstring, npyfile, mmwargstring):
 
         do_one("uc", "gradient_uc_cylinders.py", 15,
                "--bundles-per-rank=0 --max-iterations=100 --default-rho=1 "
-               "--xhatshuffle --ph-ob --num-scens=5 --max-solver-threads=2 "
+               "--xhatshuffle --lagrangian --num-scens=5 --max-solver-threads=2 "
                "--lagrangian-iter0-mipgap=1e-7 --ph-mipgaps-json=phmipgaps.json "
                f"--solver-name={solver_name} --xhatpath uc_cyl_nonants.npy "
                "--rel-gap 0.00001 --abs-gap=1 --intra-hub-conv-thresh=-1 "
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ def do_one_mmw(dirname, modname, runefstring, npyfile, mmwargstring):
                "--solver-name={}".format(solver_name))
         # as of May 2022, this one works well, but outputs some crazy messages
         do_one("uc", "uc_ama.py", 3,
-               "--bundles-per-rank=0 --max-iterations=2 "
+              "--bundles-per-rank=0 --max-iterations=2 "
                "--default-rho=1 --num-scens=3 "
                "--fixer-tol=1e-2 --lagranger --xhatshuffle "
                "--solver-name={}".format(solver_name))

examples/stoch_distr/stoch_distr_admm_cylinders.py

@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ def _parse_args():
     cfg.xhatxbar_args()
     cfg.fwph_args()
     cfg.lagrangian_args()
-    cfg.ph_ob_args()
     cfg.tracking_args()
     cfg.add_to_config("run_async",
                          description="Run with async projective hedging instead of progressive hedging",
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ def _parse_args():
 
 def _count_cylinders(cfg):
     count = 1
-    cfglist = ["xhatxbar", "lagrangian", "ph_ob"] # All the cfg arguments that create a new cylinders
+    cfglist = ["xhatxbar", "lagrangian"] # All the cfg arguments that create a new cylinders
     # Add to this list any cfg attribute that would create a spoke
     for cylname in cfglist:
         if cfg[cylname]:
@@ -127,13 +126,7 @@ def _wheel_creator(cfg, n_cylinders, scenario_creator, variable_probability, all
     if cfg.fwph:
         fw_spoke = vanilla.fwph_spoke(*beans, scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs)
 
-    # ph outer bounder spoke
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        ph_ob_spoke = vanilla.ph_ob_spoke(*beans,
-                                          scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
-                                          rho_setter = None,
-                                          all_nodenames=all_nodenames,
-                                          variable_probability=variable_probability)
+    # ph outer bounder spoke removed August 2025 (replace with ph_dual)
 
     # xhat looper bound spoke
     if cfg.xhatxbar:
@@ -148,8 +141,6 @@ def _wheel_creator(cfg, n_cylinders, scenario_creator, variable_probability, all
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(fw_spoke)
     if cfg.lagrangian:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagrangian_spoke)
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        list_of_spoke_dict.append(ph_ob_spoke)
     if cfg.xhatxbar:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(xhatxbar_spoke)
 

examples/uc/gradient_uc_cylinders.py

@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ def _parse_args():
     cfg.xhatshuffle_args()
     cfg.cross_scenario_cuts_args()
     cfg.dynamic_gradient_args() # gets you gradient_args for free
-    cfg.ph_ob_args()
     cfg.add_to_config("ph_mipgaps_json",
                          description="json file with mipgap schedule (default None)",
                          domain=str,
@@ -176,11 +175,7 @@ def main():
     if xhatlooper:
         xhatlooper_spoke = vanilla.xhatlooper_spoke(*beans, scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs)
 
-    # ph outer bounder spoke
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        ph_ob_spoke = vanilla.ph_ob_spoke(*beans,
-                                          scenario_creator_kwargs=scenario_creator_kwargs,
-                                          rho_setter = rho_setter)        
+    # ph outer bounder spoke removed August 2025
 
     # xhat shuffle bound spoke
     if xhatshuffle:
@@ -195,8 +190,6 @@ def main():
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(fw_spoke)
     if lagrangian:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(lagrangian_spoke)
-    if cfg.ph_ob:
-        list_of_spoke_dict.append(ph_ob_spoke)        
     if xhatlooper:
         list_of_spoke_dict.append(xhatlooper_spoke)
     if xhatshuffle: