diff --git a/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi.py b/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi.py
index f04f7246d..5ba8ee419 100644
--- a/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi.py
+++ b/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi.py
@@ -88,9 +88,9 @@ def run(trial, dequed=None):
     )
     print("Command = ", command, flush=True, file=f)
 
-    result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
     output = "F"
     try:
+        result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
         pattern = r"Val Loss: ([-+]?(\d+(\.\d*)?|\.\d+)([eE][-+]?\d+)?)"
         fout = open(f"{DEEPHYPER_LOG_DIR}/error_{SLURM_JOB_ID}_{trial.id}.txt", "r")
         while True:
diff --git a/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi_perlmutter.py b/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi_perlmutter.py
index cb10e1bff..094b9be28 100644
--- a/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi_perlmutter.py
+++ b/examples/multidataset_hpo/gfm_deephyper_multi_perlmutter.py
@@ -89,9 +89,9 @@ def run(trial, dequed=None):
     )
     print("Command = ", command, flush=True, file=f)
 
-    result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
     output = "F"
     try:
+        result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
         pattern = r"Val Loss: ([-+]?(\d+(\.\d*)?|\.\d+)([eE][-+]?\d+)?)"
         fout = open(f"{DEEPHYPER_LOG_DIR}/error_{SLURM_JOB_ID}_{trial.id}.txt", "r")
         while True:
diff --git a/hydragnn/utils/distributed.py b/hydragnn/utils/distributed.py
index b533beb92..50c853776 100644
--- a/hydragnn/utils/distributed.py
+++ b/hydragnn/utils/distributed.py
@@ -147,6 +147,9 @@ def setup_ddp(use_deepspeed=False):
         master_addr = os.environ["LSB_HOSTS"].split()[1]
     elif os.getenv("LSB_MCPU_HOSTS") is not None:
         master_addr = os.environ["LSB_MCPU_HOSTS"].split()[2]
+    elif os.getenv("SLURM_STEP_NODELIST") is not None:
+        ## The following is CADES/Frontier/Perlmutter specific with job steps
+        master_addr = parse_slurm_nodelist(os.environ["SLURM_STEP_NODELIST"])[0]
     elif os.getenv("SLURM_NODELIST") is not None:
         ## The following is CADES specific
         master_addr = parse_slurm_nodelist(os.environ["SLURM_NODELIST"])[0]