Executing An Accelerator Application Program In A Hybrid Computing Environment

• US 20100064295A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wright, Cornell G. JR., Aho, Michael E., Stewart, Gordon G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,230,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

Executing an accelerator application program in a hybrid computing environment with a host computer having a host computer architecture; an accelerator having an accelerator architecture, the accelerator architecture optimized, with respect to the host computer architecture, for speed of execution of a particular class of computing functions; the host computer and the accelerator adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module, where executing an accelerator application program on an accelerator includes receiving, from a host application program on the host computer, operating information for an accelerator application program; designating a directory as a CWD for the accelerator application program, separate from any other CWDs of any other applications running on the accelerator; assigning, to the CWD, a name that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment; and starting the accelerator application program on the accelerator.

Claims

1. A method of executing an accelerator application program on an accelerator in a hybrid computing environment, the hybrid computing environment comprising:

a host computer having a host computer architecture;

an accelerator having an accelerator architecture, the accelerator architecture optimized, with respect to the host computer architecture, for speed of execution of a particular class of computing functions;

the host computer and the accelerator adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module;

the method comprising;

receiving, by the system level message passing module from a host application program on the host computer, operating information for the accelerator application program, the operating information including application execution parameters, environment variables, and a value of a substitution variable identifying a current working directory (‘

CWD’

) for the accelerator application program, with the CWD represented in the execution parameters and in the environment variables by the value of the substitution variable;

designating, by the system level message passing module, a directory as a CWD for the accelerator application program, separate from any other CWDs of any other applications running on the accelerator;

assigning, by the system level message passing module to the CWD, a name that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment; and

starting, by the system level message passing module, the accelerator application program on the accelerator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the operating information further comprises the identity of the accelerator, a list of files to transfer to the accelerator, and the name of the accelerator application program; and

the method further comprises transferring, by the system level message passing module, the files from the host computer to the CWD on the accelerator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

assigning a name to the CWD that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment further comprises assigning a temporary name to the CWD;

the method includes transferring, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information from the host computer to the accelerator using the temporary name assigned to the CWD; and

starting the accelerator application program on the accelerator further comprises assigning a permanent name to the CWD.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising deleting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD upon termination of the accelerator application program.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising retaining, by the system level message passing module, the CWD and its contents upon termination of the accelerator application program.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

writing to the CWD, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information as files to transfer from the host computer to the accelerator; and

limiting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD to read and execute access only by the accelerator application program.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting, by the system level message passing module, all access to the CWD exclusively to the accelerator application program.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein assigning a name to the CWD further comprises assigning the name without informing the host application program of the name assigned to the CWD.

9. A hybrid computing environment for executing an accelerator application program on an accelerator, the hybrid computing environment comprising:

a host computer having a host computer architecture;

an accelerator having an accelerator architecture, the accelerator architecture optimized, with respect to the host computer architecture, for speed of execution of a particular class of computing functions;

the host computer and the accelerator adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module;

the system level message passing module comprising computer program instructions capable of;

receiving, by the system level message passing module from a host application program on the host computer, operating information for the accelerator application program, the operating information including application execution parameters, environment variables, and a value of a substitution variable identifying a current working directory (‘

CWD’

) for the accelerator application program, with the CWD represented in the execution parameters and in the environment variables by the value of the substitution variable;

designating, by the system level message passing module, a directory as a CWD for the accelerator application program, separate from any other CWDs of any other applications running on the accelerator;

assigning, by the system level message passing module to the CWD, a name that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment; and

starting, by the system level message passing module, the accelerator application program on the accelerator.

10. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 wherein:

the operating information further comprises the identity of the accelerator, a list of files to transfer to the accelerator, and the name of the accelerator application program; and

the hybrid computing environment further comprises computer program instructions capable of transferring, by the system level message passing module, the files from the host computer to the CWD on the accelerator.

11. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 wherein:

assigning a name to the CWD that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment further comprises assigning a temporary name to the CWD;

the hybrid computing environment further comprises computer program instructions capable of transferring, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information from the host computer to the accelerator using the temporary name assigned to the CWD; and

starting the accelerator application program on the accelerator further comprises assigning a permanent name to the CWD.

12. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions capable of deleting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD upon termination of the accelerator application program.

13. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions capable of retaining, by the system level message passing module, the CWD and its contents upon termination of the accelerator application program.

14. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

writing to the CWD, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information as files to transfer from the host computer to the accelerator; and

limiting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD to read and execute access only by the accelerator application program.

15. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions capable of limiting, by the system level message passing module, all access to the CWD exclusively to the accelerator application program.

16. The hybrid computing environment of claim 9 wherein assigning a name to the CWD further comprises assigning the name without informing the host application program of the name assigned to the CWD.

17. A computer program product for executing an accelerator application program on an accelerator in a hybrid computing environment, the hybrid computing environment comprising:

a host computer having a host computer architecture;

an accelerator having an accelerator architecture, the accelerator architecture optimized, with respect to the host computer architecture, for speed of execution of a particular class of computing functions;

the host computer and the accelerator adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module;

the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable, signal bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of;

receiving, by the system level message passing module from a host application program on the host computer, operating information for the accelerator application program, the operating information including application execution parameters, environment variables, and a value of a substitution variable identifying a current working directory (‘

CWD’

) for the accelerator application program, with the CWD represented in the execution parameters and in the environment variables by the value of the substitution variable;

designating, by the system level message passing module, a directory as a CWD for the accelerator application program, separate from any other CWDs of any other applications running on the accelerator;

assigning, by the system level message passing module to the CWD, a name that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment; and

starting, by the system level message passing module, the accelerator application program on the accelerator.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

the operating information further comprises the identity of the accelerator, a list of files to transfer to the accelerator, and the name of the accelerator application program; and

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions capable of transferring, by the system level message passing module, the files from the host computer to the CWD on the accelerator.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

assigning a name to the CWD that is unique with respect to names of other CWDs of other applications in the computing environment further comprises assigning a temporary name to the CWD;

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions capable of transferring, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information from the host computer to the accelerator using the temporary name assigned to the CWD; and

starting the accelerator application program on the accelerator further comprises assigning a permanent name to the CWD.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions capable of deleting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD upon termination of the accelerator application program.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions capable of retaining, by the system level message passing module, the CWD and its contents upon termination of the accelerator application program.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

writing to the CWD, by the system level message passing module, files identified in the operating information as files to transfer from the host computer to the accelerator; and

limiting, by the system level message passing module, the CWD to read and execute access only by the accelerator application program.

23. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions capable of limiting, by the system level message passing module, all access to the CWD exclusively to the accelerator application program.

24. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein assigning a name to the CWD further comprises assigning the name without informing the host application program of the name assigned to the CWD.