Course details

Parallel System Architecture and Programming

ARC Acad. year 2005/2006 Summer semester 5 credits

Current academic year

The course covers architecture and programming of parallel systems with functional- and data-parallelism. First the most proliferated symmetrical multiprocessors with shared bus (SMP) and their programming in OpenMP environment are dealt with. Then follows the treatment of interconnection networks, a basic structure for popular networks of workstations and other message-passing systems. Their programming in standardized interface MPI is illustrated with case studies of parallel applications. Data-parallel systems and programming are in the last group.

Guarantor

Dvořák Václav, prof. Ing., DrSc.

Language of instruction

Czech

Completion

Examination

Time span

  • 39 hrs lectures
  • 5 hrs exercises
  • 8 hrs projects

Department

Department of Computer Systems (UPSY)

Subject specific learning outcomes and competences

Overview of principles of parallel system design and of interconnection networks, communication techniques and algorithms. Survey of parallelization techniques of fundamental scientific problems, knowledge of parallel programming in MPI and OpenMP.

Knowledge of capabilities and limitations of parallel processing, ability to estimate performance of parallel applications. Language means for process/thread communication and synchronization. Competence in hardware-software platforms for high-performance computing and simulations.

Learning objectives

To orientate oneself in parallel systems on the market, be able to assess communication and computing possibilities of a particular architecture and to predict the performance of parallel applications. To get acquainted with the most important parallel programming tools (MPI, OpenMP), to learn their practical use and solving problems in parallel.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Von-Neumann computer architecture, computer memory hierarchy, cache memories and their organization, programming in assembly and in C/C++

Study literature

Fundamental literature

  • Hennessy, J.L., Patterson, D.A.: Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach. 5. vydání, Morgan Kaufman Publishers, Inc., 2012, 912 s., ISBN: 9780123747501 
  • Pacecho, P.: Introduction to Parallel Programming. Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 2011, 392 s., ISBN: 9780123742605 


Syllabus of lectures

  • Function- and data-parallelism, performance measures, overhead, speedup-limiting laws.
  • Bus-based shared memory multiprocessors. Bus saturation, memory organization.
  • Cache coherence, MSI and MESI protocols.
  • OpenMP, loop parallelization.
  • Synchronization in OpenMP, locks and barriers.
  • Performance of parallel applications.
  • Interconnection and switching networks, routing algorithms.
  • Flow control, router architecture.
  • Messaging, group communications and communication performance.
  • Message-passing programming (MPI).
  • Cluster computing with point-to-point and group communications.
  • DSM multiprocessors. 
  • Data-parallel systems and programming, HPF.

Syllabus of numerical exercises

  • Model of SMP with coherent caches, data prefetch, false sharing, FFT parallelization.
  • Parallel sort on SMP.
  • Mid-term examination.
  • Group communications, numerical methods in MPI.
  • Parallelization of image processing tasks.

Progress assessment

Study evaluation is based on marks obtained for specified items. Minimimum number of marks to pass is 50.

Obtaining 20 out of maximum 40 points during the term.

Controlled instruction

Four small projects, 2 hours each; midterm examination.

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