TF_CONFIG is a JSON-formatted environment variable that gives distributed TensorFlow workers cluster and task information. Training code can use it to identify the chief worker and coordinate worker-specific behavior. section 9.2.2
A distributed training job uses TF_CONFIG to:
- Give the chief the final model path while assigning other workers unique temporary paths. section 9.2.2
Chief-only model persistence
The training process parses TF_CONFIG as JSON, obtains task.index, and saves the completed model to the shared SavedModel directory only when the index is 0. Other workers save under worker-specific temporary directories, avoiding conflicting writes.
