MSA: Multiphase Specifically Shared Arrays
Workshop on Languages and Compilers for Parallel Computing (LCPC) 2004
Publication Type: Paper
Repository URL: msa2004
Abstract
Shared address space (SAS) parallel programming models have faced
difficulty scaling to large number of processors. Further, although
in some cases SAS programs are easier to develop, in other cases
they face difficulties due to a large number of race conditions. We
contend that a multi-paradigm programming model comprising a
distributedmemory model with a disciplined form of shared-memory
programming constitutes a "complete" and powerful parallel
programming system. Optimized cache coherence mechanisms based on
the specific access pattern of a shared variable show significant
performance benefits over general DSM coherence protocols. We
present MSA, a system that supports such specifically shared arrays
that can be shared in read-only, write-many, and accumulate modes.
These simple modes scale well and are general enough to capture the
majority of shared memory access patterns. MSA does not support a
general read-write access mode. MSA coexists with the
message-passing paradigm (MPI) and the processor virtualization
based message-driven paradigm(Charm++). We present the model, its
implementation, programming examples and preliminary performance
results.
TextRef
Jayant DeSouza and Laxmikant V. Kale, "MSA: Multiphase Specifically Shared Arrays",
Proceedings of the 17th International Workshop on Languages and Compilers for
Parallel Computing, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, September, 2004.
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