Acquiring remote shared variable directory information in a parallel computer

• US 9,251,078 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Archer, Charles J., Carey, James E., Sanders, Philip J., Smith, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US13/766,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/084 with a shared cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Methods, parallel computers, and computer program products for acquiring remote shared variable directory (SVD) information in a parallel computer are provided. Embodiments include a runtime optimizer determining that a first thread of a first task requires shared resource data stored in a memory partition corresponding to a second thread of a second task. Embodiments also include the runtime optimizer requesting from the second thread, in response to determining that the first thread of the first task requires the shared resource data, SVD information associated with the shared resource data. Embodiments also include the runtime optimizer receiving from the second thread, the SVD information associated with the shared resource data.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring remote shared variable directory (SVD) information in a parallel computer, the parallel computer comprising a plurality of threads of execution, the threads organized into tasks, the parallel computer further comprising memory partitioned to provide each thread with a private memory and a shared memory, the method comprising:

determining, by a runtime optimizer of the parallel computer, that a first thread of a first task requires shared resource data stored in a memory partition of a remote SVD corresponding to a second thread of a second task;

in response to determining that the first thread of the first task requires the shared resource data stored in the memory partition of the remote SVD corresponding to the second thread, requesting from the second thread, by the runtime optimizer, SVD information associated with the shared resource data; and

receiving from the second thread, by the runtime optimizer, the SVD information associated with the shared resource data, the SVD information including an address indicating where the shared resource data is stored in the memory partition of the remote SVD corresponding to the second thread.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

caching, by the runtime optimizer, the SVD information in an SVD associated with the first thread; and

using the cached SVD information in the SVD to access the shared resource data in the memory partition of the remote SVD corresponding to the second thread.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the SVD information includes a key identifying the shared resource data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining, by a runtime optimizer of the parallel computer, that a first thread of a first task requires shared resource data stored in a memory partition corresponding to a second thread of a second task includes tracking which threads of a particular job are using the key.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting from the second thread, by the runtime optimizer, SVD information associated with the shared resource data includes transmitting an active message using a parallel active message interface (PAMI).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein using the cached SVD information in the SVD to access the resource data in the shared memory partition corresponding to the second thread includes determining that the SVD has not been updated by the second thread.