MPI-StarT: Delivering network performance to numerical applications

• Main Authors: Parry Husbands, James C. Hoe
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1998
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.83.6326; http://csg.csail.mit.edu/pubs/memos/Memo-418/Memo-418.pdf

We describe an MPI implementation for a cluster of SMPs interconnected by a high-performance interconnect. This work is a collaboration between a numerical applications programmer and a cluster interconnect architect. The collaboration started with the modest goal of satisfying the communication needs of a specific numerical application, MITMatlab. However, by supporting the MPI standard MPI-StarT readily extends support to a host of applications. MPI-StarT is derived from MPICH by developing a custom implementation of the Channel Interface. Some changes in MPICH’s ADI and Protocol Layers are also necessary for correct and optimal operation. MPI-StarT relies on the host SMPs ’ shared memory mechanism for intra-SMP communication. Inter-SMP communication is supported through StarT-X. The StarT-X NIU allows a cluster of PCI-equipped host platforms to communicate over the Arctic Switch Fabric. Currently, StarT-X is utilized by a cluster of SUN E5000 SMPs as well as a cluster of Intel Pentium-II workstations. On a SUN E5000 with StarT-X, a processor can send and receive a 64-byte message in less than 0.4 and 3.5 usec respectively and incur less than 5.6 usec user-to-user one-way latency. StarT-X’s remote memory-to-memory DMA mechanism can transfer large data Permission to make digital/hard copy of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage, the copyright notice, the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by