Parallelizing a new class of large applications over high-speed networks

Kung, H. T.; Steenkiste, Peter; Gubitoso, Marco Dimas; Khaira, Manpreet

doi:10.1145/109625.109643

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…While many distributed applications benefit from the use of tools, today's tools cannot yet, in general, characterize the way irregular programs update complex data structures or the complex control flow of a substantial application. For this reason, we use a task-based methodology based on the separation of application code and system code [42], which is an intermediate solution between automatic parallelization and rewriting the entire application. When parallelizing an application starting with a serial implementation, the first step is to partition the application in units of work, called tasks; this collection of tasks makes up the application code and it has all the application-specific knowledge.…”

Section: Methodology For Parallelizing Large Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High-bandwidth multicast is a valuable feature for multicomputers because multicomputer applications make significant use of multicast for distributing large amounts of data [42]. Network support for multicast allows the sender to send multicast messages once instead of many times, thus reducing both the communication overhead on the Thus a CAB can set up a multicast connection and send the same data packet to multiple destination CABs.…”

Section: Multicastmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Steenkiste

1996

IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst.

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Multicomputers built around a general network are an attractive architecture for a wide class of applications. The architecture provides many benefits compared with special-purpose approaches, including heterogeneity, reuse of application and system code, and sharing of resources. The architecture also poses new challenges to both computer system implementors and users. First, traditional local-area networks do not have enough bandwidth and create a communication bottleneck, thus seriously limiting the set of applications that can be run effectively. Second, programmers have to deal with large bodies of code distributed over a variety of architectures, and work in an environment where both the network and nodes are shared with other users. Our experience in the Nectar project shows that it is possible to overcome these problems. We show how networks based on high-speed crossbar switches and efficient protocol implementations can support high bandwidth and low latency communication while still enjoying the flexibility of general networks, and we use three applications to demonstrate that network-based multicomputers are a practical architecture. We also show how the network traffic generated by this new class of applications poses severe requirements for networks.

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Section: Methodology For Parallelizing Large Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multicastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Steenkiste

1996

IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst.

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“…Workstation clusters (or "Network Of Workstations") are an attractive platform for many applications. The Nectar project [4,30], the predecessor of Gigabit Nectar, started exploring issues in the areas of high-speed communication in switched-based LANs [44,16] and support for application distribution [31]. This work is being continued using the Gigabit Nectar cluster consisting of 24 Alpha workstations distributed across labs and offices.…”

Section: Worktation Cluster Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gigabit Nectar: Architecture and Performance.

Steenkiste¹

1995

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“…The network-based multicomputer architecture has made it possible to parallelize a new class of large applications [19]. These applications were previously either too large or too complex to be implemented on parallel systems.…”

Section: Nectar Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High-bandwidth multicast is more important for multicomputers than for general-purpose LANs because multicomputer applications make significant use of multicast for distributing large amounts of data [19]. Two examples of multicast usage are the initialization of data structures and the distribution of data updates and commands by a master to slave processes.…”

Section: Multicast Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-based multicomputers

Kung

Sansom

Schlick

et al. 1991

Proceedings of the 1991 ACM/IEEE Conference on Supercomputing - Supercomputing '91

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Multicomputersbuiltaround a general network are now a viable alternative to multicomputersbased on a system-speci~c interconnect because of architectural improvements in two areas. First, the host-network interface overhead can be minimized by reducing copy operations and host interrupts. Second, the network can provide high bandwidth and low latency by using high-speed crossbar switches and efficient protocol implementations.While still enjoying thejexibility of general networks, the resulting network-based multicomputers achieve high performance for typical multicomputer applications that use system-specijic interconnects. We have developed a network-based mtdticomputer called Nectar that supports these claims.This paper argues that it is feasible to build highperformance network-based multicomputers that use general networks instead of system-specific interconnects. Such a multicomputer is able to use em"sting hosts, including workstations and special-purpose processors, as its processors. While enjoying a high degree of flexibility, the underlying network can have performance comparable to that of a dedicated interconnect. This is true both for large messages,where bandwidth is important, and for small messages, where software overhead is typically the limiting factor. As a result, the types of applications that run on existing mult.icomputers also run efficiently on network-based multicomputers. At the same time, network-based multicomputers are able to take advantage of rapid advances in network and processor technology.The Nectar project is one of the fist attempts to build a high-performance network-based multicomputer. Nectar is composed of a high-bandwidth crosspoint network and dedicated network coproeessors. A prototype system using 100 Mb/s (megabits per seeond) links has been operational since early 1989. The system has currently 26 hosts, including a connection to a CRAY Y-MP via a 26 kilometer singlemode fiber link. The Nectar prototype has been used as a vehicle to study architectural issues in network-based multicomputers and high-speed networks. This paper is based on insights and experiences gained from the Nectar prototype.To further pursue our ideas, we are collaborating with an industrial partner (Network Systems Corporation) to develop a gigabit Nectar system capable of sustaining gigabit per second end-to-end communication.This new system will support the 800 Mb/s HIPPI (High-Performance Parallel Interface) ANSI standard, and will also have a SONET/ATM 664

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Parallelizing a new class of large applications over high-speed networks

Cited by 15 publications

References 16 publications

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Gigabit Nectar: Architecture and Performance.

Network-based multicomputers

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