Using Java and JavaScript in the Virtual Programming Laboratory: a Web-based parallel programming environment
✍ Scribed by Dincer, Kivanc; Fox, Geoffrey C.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 277 KB
- Volume
- 9
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1040-3108
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The Virtual Programming Laboratory (VPL) is a Web-based virtual programming environment built based on a client-server architecture. The system can be accessed on any platform (Unix, PC or Mac) using a standard Java-enabled browser. Software delivery over the Web imposes a novel set of constraints on design. We outline the tradeoffs in this design space, motivate the choices necessary to deliver an application, and detail the lessons learned in the process. We discuss the role of Java and other Web technologies in the realization of the design. VPL facilitates the development and execution of parallel programs. The initial prototype supports high-level parallel programming based on Fortran 90 and High Performance Fortran (HPF), as well as explicit low-level programming with the MPI message-passing interface. Supplementary Java-based platform-independent tools for data and performance visualization are an integral part of the VPL. Pablo SDDF trace files generated by the Pablo performance instrumentation system are used for post-mortem performance visualization.