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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1996

Dartmouth College

Parallel computing

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

File-Access Characteristics Of Parallel Scientific Workloads, Nils Nieuwejaar, David Kotz, Apratim Purakayastha, Carla Schlatter Ellis, Michael L. Best Oct 1996

File-Access Characteristics Of Parallel Scientific Workloads, Nils Nieuwejaar, David Kotz, Apratim Purakayastha, Carla Schlatter Ellis, Michael L. Best

Dartmouth Scholarship

Phenomenal improvements in the computational performance of multiprocessors have not been matched by comparable gains in I/O system performance. This imbalance has resulted in I/O becoming a significant bottleneck for many scientific applications. One key to overcoming this bottleneck is improving the performance of multiprocessor file systems. \par The design of a high-performance multiprocessor file system requires a comprehensive understanding of the expected workload. Unfortunately, until recently, no general workload studies of multiprocessor file systems have been conducted. The goal of the CHARISMA project was to remedy this problem by characterizing the behavior of several production workloads, on different machines, …


Flexibility And Performance Of Parallel File Systems, David Kotz, Nils Nieuwejaar Sep 1996

Flexibility And Performance Of Parallel File Systems, David Kotz, Nils Nieuwejaar

Dartmouth Scholarship

As we gain experience with parallel file systems, it becomes increasingly clear that a single solution does not suit all applications. For example, it appears to be impossible to find a single appropriate interface, caching policy, file structure, or disk-management strategy. Furthermore, the proliferation of file-system interfaces and abstractions make applications difficult to port. \par We propose that the traditional functionality of parallel file systems be separated into two components: a fixed core that is standard on all platforms, encapsulating only primitive abstractions and interfaces, and a set of high-level libraries to provide a variety of abstractions and application-programmer interfaces …


Flexibility And Performance Of Parallel File Systems, David Kotz, Nils Nieuwejaar Feb 1996

Flexibility And Performance Of Parallel File Systems, David Kotz, Nils Nieuwejaar

Dartmouth Scholarship

Many scientific applications for high-performance multiprocessors have tremendous I/O requirements. As a result, the I/O system is often the limiting factor of application performance. Several new parallel file systems have been developed in recent years, each promising better performance for some class of parallel applications. As we gain experience with parallel computing, and parallel file systems in particular, it becomes increasingly clear that a single solution does not suit all applications. For example, it appears to be impossible to find a single appropriate interface, caching policy, file structure, or disk management strategy. Furthermore, the proliferation of file-system interfaces and abstractions …


Introduction To Multiprocessor I/O Architecture, David Kotz Jan 1996

Introduction To Multiprocessor I/O Architecture, David Kotz

Dartmouth Scholarship

The computational performance of multiprocessors continues to improve by leaps and bounds, fueled in part by rapid improvements in processor and interconnection technology. I/O performance thus becomes ever more critical, to avoid becoming the bottleneck of system performance. In this paper we provide an introduction to I/O architectural issues in multiprocessors, with a focus on disk subsystems. While we discuss examples from actual architectures and provide pointers to interesting research in the literature, we do not attempt to provide a comprehensive survey. We concentrate on a study of the architectural design issues, and the effects of different design alternatives.