Docs: Improve TPU Runtime & Colab setup guide

docs/guides.md

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ guides/optimization.md
 guides/data_input_pipeline.md
 guides/checkpointing_solutions.md
 guides/monitoring_and_debugging.md
+guides/run_python_notebook.md
 ```

docs/guides/run_python_notebook.md

@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+# Run MaxText Python Notebooks on TPUs
+
+This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions for getting started with python notebooks on the two most popular platforms: Google Colab and a local JupyterLab environment.
+
+## 📑 Table of Contents
+
+- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
+- [Method 1: Google Colab with TPU](#method-1-google-colab-with-tpu)
+- [Method 2: Local Jupyter Lab with TPU](#method-2-local-jupyter-lab-with-tpu)
+- [Available Examples](#available-examples)
+- [Common Pitfalls & Debugging](#common-pitfalls--debugging)
+- [Support & Resources](#support-and-resources)
+- [Contributing](#contributing)
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before starting, make sure you have:
+
+- ✅ Basic familiarity with Jupyter, Python, and Git
+
+**For Method 2 (Local Jupyter Lab) only:**
+- ✅ A Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account with billing enabled
+- ✅ TPU quota available in your region (check under IAM & Admin → Quotas)
+- ✅ `tpu.nodes.create` permission to create a TPU VM
+- ✅ gcloud CLI installed locally
+- ✅ Firewall rules open for port 8888 (Jupyter) if accessing directly
+
+## Method 1: Google Colab with TPU
+
+This is the fastest way to run MaxText python notebooks without managing infrastructure.
+
+**⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE ⚠️**
+The free tier of Google Colab provides access to `v5e-1 TPU`, but this access is not guaranteed and is subject to availability and usage limits.
+
+Before proceeding, please verify that the specific notebook you are running works reliably on the free-tier TPU resources. If you encounter frequent disconnections or resource limitations, you may need to:
+
+* Upgrade to a Colab Pro or Pro+ subscription for more stable and powerful TPU access.
+
+* Move to local Jupyter Lab setup method with access to a powerful TPU machine.
+
+### Step 1: Choose an Example
+1.a. Visit the [MaxText examples directory](https://github.com/AI-Hypercomputer/maxtext/tree/main/src/MaxText/examples) on Github.
+
+1.b. Find the notebook you want to run (e.g., `sft_qwen3_demo.ipynb`) and copy its URL.
+
+### Step 2: Import into Colab
+2.a. Go to [Google Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/) and sign in.
+
+2.b. Select **File** -> **Open Notebook**.
+
+2.c. Select the **GitHub** tab.
+
+2.d. Paste the target `.ipynb` link you copied in step 1.b and press Enter.
+
+### Step 3: Enable TPU Runtime
+
+3.a. **Runtime** → **Change runtime type**
+
+3.b. Select your desired **TPU** under **Hardware accelerator**
+
+3.c. Click **Save**
+
+### Step 4: Run the Notebook
+Follow the instructions within the notebook cells to install dependencies and run the training/inference.
+
+## Method 2: Local Jupyter Lab with TPU
+
+You can run Python notebooks on a local JupyterLab environment, giving you full control over your computing resources.
+
+### Step 1: Set Up TPU VM
+
+In Google Cloud Console:
+
+1.a. **Compute Engine** → **TPU** → **Create TPU**
+
+1.b. Example config:
+   - **Name:** `maxtext-tpu-node`
+   - **TPU type:** Choose your desired TPU type
+   - **Runtime Version:** `tpu-ubuntu2204-base` (or other compatible runtime)
+
+### Step 2: Connect with Port Forwarding
+Run the following command on your local machine:
+> **Note**: The `--` separator before the `-L` flag is required. This tunnels the remote port 8888 to your local machine securely.
+
+```bash
+gcloud compute tpus tpu-vm ssh maxtext-tpu-node --zone=YOUR_ZONE -- -L 8888:localhost:8888
+```
+
+> **Note**: If you get a "bind: Address already in use" error, it means port 8888 is busy on your local computer. Change the first number to a different port, e.g., -L 9999:localhost:8888. You will then access Jupyter at localhost:9999.
+
+### Step 3: Install Dependencies
+
+Run the following commands on your TPU-VM:
+
+```bash
+sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
+sudo apt install python3-pip python3-dev git -y
+pip3 install jupyterlab
+```
+
+### Step 4: Start Jupyter Lab
+
+```bash
+jupyter lab --ip=0.0.0.0 --port=8888 --no-browser --allow-root
+```
+
+### Step 5: Access the Notebook
+5.a. Look at the terminal output for a URL that looks like: `http://127.0.0.1:8888/lab?token=...`
+
+5.b. Copy that URL.
+
+5.c. Paste it into your **local computer's browser**.
+   * **Important:** If you changed the port in Step 2 (e.g., to `9999`), you must manually replace `8888` in the URL with `9999`.
+   * *Example:* `http://127.0.0.1:9999/lab?token=...`
+
+
+## Available Examples
+
+### Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT)
+
+- **`sft_qwen3_demo.ipynb`** → Qwen3-0.6B SFT training and evaluation on [OpenAI's GSM8K dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/openai/gsm8k)
+- **`sft_llama3_demo.ipynb`** → Llama3.1-8B SFT training on [Hugging Face ultrachat_200k dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/HuggingFaceH4/ultrachat_200k)
+
+### Reinforcement Learning (GRPO/GSPO) Training
+
+- **`rl_llama3_demo.ipynb`** → GRPO/GSPO training on [OpenAI's GSM8K dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/openai/gsm8k)
+
+## Common Pitfalls & Debugging
+
+| Issue | Solution |
+|-------|----------|
+| ❌ TPU runtime mismatch | Check TPU runtime version matches VM image |
+| ❌ Colab disconnects | Save checkpoints to GCS or Drive regularly |
+| ❌ "RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED" errors | Use smaller batch size or v5e-8 instead of v5e-1 |
+| ❌ Firewall blocked | Ensure port 8888 open, or always use SSH tunneling |
+| ❌ Path confusion | In Colab use `/content/maxtext`; in TPU VM use `~/maxtext` |
+
+## Support and Resources
+
+- 📘 [MaxText Documentation](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/)
+- 💻 [Google Colab](https://colab.research.google.com)
+- ⚡ [Cloud TPU Docs](https://cloud.google.com/tpu/docs)
+- 🧩 [Jupyter Lab](https://jupyterlab.readthedocs.io)
+
+## Contributing
+
+If you encounter issues or have improvements for this guide, please:
+
+1. Open an issue on the MaxText repository
+2. Submit a pull request with your improvements
+3. Share your experience in the discussions
+
+---
+
+**Happy Training! 🚀**

docs/tutorials/post_training_index.md

@@ -49,14 +49,13 @@ Pathways supercharges RL with:
 
 ## Getting started
 
-Start your Post-Training journey through quick experimentation with our [Google Colabs](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/posttraining/how_to_run_colabs.html) or our Production level tutorials for [SFT](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/posttraining/sft_on_multi_host.html) and [RL](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/posttraining/rl_on_multi_host.html).
+Start your Post-Training journey through quick experimentation with [Python Notebooks](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/guides/run_python_notebook.html) or our Production level tutorials for [SFT](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/posttraining/sft_on_multi_host.html) and [RL](https://maxtext.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/posttraining/rl_on_multi_host.html).
 
 ## More tutorials
 
 ```{toctree}
 :maxdepth: 1
 
-posttraining/how_to_run_colabs.md
 posttraining/sft.md
 posttraining/sft_on_multi_host.md
 posttraining/rl.md