Configuring NCCL to use GPUDirect RDMA is key as it bypasses the CPU and reduces latency. Increasing batch size helps amortize the cost of communication. TCP/IP will not utilize NVLink; CPU-based compression adds overhead, and disabling peer-to-peer access hurts performance. GPUDirect RDMA allows direct memory access and it is the most critical piece in NVLink switch based system setup. Large batch size would also help to saturate the link bandwidth and less freqeuntly communicate between GPUs.

'mst status' is the most reliable method. This command, part of the Mellanox OFED tools, is specifically designed to query the status of Mellanox devices, including the DPLJ, and accurately reports the firmware version. While other methods might provide clues, 'mst statuS is the definitive source of truth.

Adaptive Routing (AR) and Dynamic Load Balancing (DLB) are features specifically designed to dynamically adjust paths based on real-time network conditions in Spectrum-X. This provides the most granular and automated way to respond to congestion and optimize traffic flow compared to static routing or global ECMP adjustments. QOS prioritizes, but doesn't change the chosen path.

Validating Triton's performance requires a comprehensive approach. Monitoring GPU usage with 'nvidia-smi', tracking Triton's internal metrics, using load testing tools to simulate real-world traffic, and monitoring CPU utilization are all important for identifying bottlenecks and ensuring optimal performance.

The error 'error during connect: this error may indicate that the docker daemon is not running' during a 'docker build', when the daemon actually is running, can indicate a failure to connect to the daemon for a specific reason related to GPU access. 'docker build' requires - gpus all' to be passed in order for CUDA to correctly build the image. Permissions(A) are unlikely to cause this specific connection error. User group issues(B) are usually related to running containers, not building them. A networking issue (D) is possible but less likely in the context of a local build. The same can be said for container exceeding the hosts' available memory.