Practical Parallel Computing

A discussion of the characteristics of applications and operational environment for parallel processing. The book covers the problems and solutions in developing environments for parallel software, in porting and developing parallel applications, and in matching applications to architectures. Content: Front Matter, Page iii Copyright, Page iv Dedication, Page v Preface, Pages xiii-xv Acknowledgments, Pages xvii-xviii Introduction to Preliminaries, Page 1 1 - The Status and Future of Massively Parallel Processing, Pages 3-23 2 - Can Parallel Machines Be Used Efficiently?, Pages 25-49 3 - An Introduction to Hardware Architectures, Pages 51-83 Introduction to Software Issues, Pages 85-86 4 - Shared Memory Parallel Language Constructs, Pages 87-109 5 - Message Passing, Pages 111-149 6 - SIMD and Array-Based Languages, Pages 151-177 7 - Linda, Pages 179-194 8 - The Development Environment for Parallel Software, Pages 195-213 9 - Operating System Issues, Pages 215-234 Introduction to Management Issues, Page 235 10 - Benchmarking Parallel Applications, Pages 237-268 11 - Porting and Developing Parallel Applications, Pages 269-294 12 - Matching Applications to Architectures, Pages 295-316 Appendix A - The Sample Problem, Pages 317-321 Appendix B - SGI Challenge, Pages 323-330 Appendix C - nCube, Pages 331-340 Appendix D - Express, Pages 341-347 Appendix E - Intel Paragon, Pages 349-354 Appendix F - MasPar MP-1, Pages 355-362 Appendix G - C* on the Connection Machine, Pages 363-368 Appendix H - Linda, Pages 369-377 Appendix I - Two Recent Machines, Pages 379-386 References, Pages 387-391 Index, Pages 393-401 Practical Parallel Computing provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of high-performance parallel processing. This book discusses the development of parallel applications on a variety of equipment. Organized into three parts encompassing 12 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the technology trends that converge to favor massively parallel hardware over traditional mainframes and vector machines. This text then gives a tutorial introduction to parallel hardware architectures. Other chapters provide worked-out examples of programs using several parallel languages. This book deals as well with benchmarking and performance estimation on parallel machines. The final chapter provides a structured, flexible methodology for selecting a parallel machine and for integrating it into operations. This book is a valuable resource for readers who are confronted with the practical realities of parallel computing for the first time. Mid-level technical managers, algorithm designers, computer scientists, and doctorate-level mathematicians will also find this book extremely useful. This book provides a thorough discussion of the current state of parallel processing. The book discusses in detail the characteristics of applications and operational environments for parallel processing. It covers problems and solutions in developing environments for parallel software, in porting and developing parallel applications, and in matching applications to architectures