The PMESC Programming Library for Distributed-Memory MIMD Computers

✍ Scribed by S. Crivelli; E.R. Jessup

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 341 KB
• Volume: 57
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0743-7315
• DOI: 10.1006/jpdc.1999.1539

✦ Synopsis

Efficient programming of task-parallel problems, where the number and execution times of the computational tasks can vary unpredictably, demands an asynchronous and adaptive approach. In this sort of approach, however, such fundamental programming issues as load sharing, data sharing, and termination detection can present difficult programming problems. This paper presents the PMESC library for managing task-parallel problems on distributed-memory MIMD computers within the context of the SPMD (single program, multiple data) programming model. PMESC offers support for all of the application-independent programming issues involved in SPMD task-parallel computation in a portable and efficient way while still allowing users to customize their codes. Because different problems may require different strategies to achieve good performance, PMESC is based on a straightforward model in which different building blocks can be easily put together and changed to accommodate the particular needs of the different applications. The library provides an interface that allows users to program a virtual machine and thereby ignore the details associated with message passing and machine architecture. These features make PMESC accessible to a wide variety of users.