SGL: towards a bridging model for heterogeneous hierarchical platforms. (1st January 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Chong; Hains, Gaétan
• Is Part Of: International journal of high performance computing and networking. Volume 7:Number 2(2012)
• Page Start: 139
• Page End: 151
• Publication Date: 2012-01-01
• Subjects: programming environment -- scalable parallel computing -- hierarchical and heterogeneous architectures -- performance prediction -- bridging model -- bulk-synchronous parallel -- scatter-gather language -- high performance computing; High performance computing -- Periodicals; Computer networks -- Periodicals; High performance computing; Periodicals; 004.05
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-0562

Abstract

This paper introduces the Scatter-Gather parallel-programming and parallel execution model in the form of a simple imperative Scatter-Gather Language (SGL). Its design is based on past experience with bulk-synchronous parallel (BSP) programming and BSP language design. SGL's novel features are motivated by the last decade's move towards multi-level and heterogeneous parallel architectures involving multi-core processors, graphics accelerators and hierarchical routing networks in the largest multiprocessing systems. The design of SGL is coherent with L. Valiant's multi-BSP while offering a programming interface that is even simpler than the primitives of bulk-synchronous parallel ML (BSML). SGL appears to cover a large subset of all BSP algorithms while avoiding complex message-passing programming. Like all BSP-inspired systems, it supports predictable, portable and scalable performance. Moreover, SGL's explicit data distribution will allow automatic or programmable load-balancing.