Previous: Group B -- Parallel Programming Paradigms Up: Working Groups Next: Group D -- Program Development Tools
Previous: Group B -- Parallel Programming Paradigms Up: Working Groups Next: Group D -- Program Development Tools
Chair: Dan Reed; Co-chair: Robert Harrison
What sets performance tools apart from other software tools in the HPCC arena? The answer is simply that performance is the ultimate reason for using massively parallel architectures in the first place. Either absolute performance (solving larger problems faster than previously possible) or price performance (solving the same problems less expensively) is ultimately the driving rationale for using MPP systems. To understand the performance of massively parallel processing applications requires tools focusing on scalability, load balance, and program performance. Thus, achieving a reasonable fraction of the potential peak performance of such a system is an essential part of the code development process. The development of stable performance analysis tools represents an enabling link in the evolution of an application from a crude parallel model to an efficient research or industrial code. However, in order for such tools to be used with confidence by a broad user community, they must move beyond research prototypes to become robust, commercial-quality products.
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