Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Multicomputer Toolbox - First-Generation Scalable Libraries, Anthony Skjellum, Alvin Leung, Steven G. Smith, Robert D. Falgout

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

"First-generation" scalable parallel libraries have been achieved, and are maturing, within the Multicomputer Toolbox. The Toolbox includes sparse, dense, iterative linear algebra, a stiff ODE/DAE solver, and an open software technology for additional numerical algorithms, plus an inter-architecture Makefile mechanism for building applications. We have devised C-based strategies for useful classes of distributed data structures, including distributed matrices and vectors. The underlying Zipcodemessage passing system has enabled process-grid abstractions of multicomputers, communication contexts, and process groups, all characteristics needed for building scalable libraries, and scalable application software. We describe the data-distribution-independent approach to building scalable libraries, which is needed so …