Requesting shared variable directory (SVD) information from a plurality of threads in a parallel computer

• US 9,513,910 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• 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): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Metzger, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/718,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/45 Exploiting coarse grain parallelism in compilation, i.e. parallelism between groups of instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3009 Thread control instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

Methods, parallel computers, and computer program products for requesting shared variable directory (SVD) information from a plurality of threads in a parallel computer are provided. Embodiments include a runtime optimizer detecting that a first thread requires a plurality of updated SVD information associated with shared resource data stored in a plurality of memory partitions. Embodiments also include a runtime optimizer broadcasting, in response to detecting that the first thread requires the updated SVD information, a gather operation message header to the plurality of threads. The gather operation message header indicates an SVD key corresponding to the required updated SVD information and a local address associated with the first thread to receive a plurality of updated SVD information associated with the SVD key. Embodiments also include the runtime optimizer receiving at the local address, the plurality of updated SVD information from the plurality of threads.

Claims

1. A parallel computer for requesting shared variable directory (SVD) information from a plurality of threads, the parallel computer comprising a runtime optimizer, 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 parallel computer comprising computer processors operatively coupled to the memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processors, cause the parallel computer to function by:

prior to detecting that a first thread requires a plurality of updated SVD information, creating a gather operation message header for each entry of an SVD associated with the first thread by storing each gather operation message header with the corresponding entry of the SVD associated with the first thread;

detecting, by a runtime optimizer of the parallel computer, that the first thread requires the plurality of updated SVD information associated with shared resource data stored in a plurality of memory partitions associated with a plurality of threads, each partition associated with a different thread;

in response to detecting that the first thread requires the updated SVD information, broadcasting, by the runtime optimizer, a gather operation message header corresponding to an entry of the SVD associated with the first thread to the plurality of threads using a system messaging layer of a protocol stack of the parallel computer, wherein the system messaging layer provides system-level data communications functions that support higher layers of the protocol stack, the gather operation message header indicating an SVD key corresponding to the required updated SVD information and a local address associated with the first thread to receive the plurality of updated SVD information associated with the SVD key; and

receiving at the local address, the plurality of updated SVD information from the plurality of threads.

2. The computer of claim 1 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processors, cause the parallel computer to function by updating based on the received plurality of updated SVD information, by the runtime optimizer, a SVD associated with the first thread.

3. The computer of claim 1 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processors, cause the parallel computer to function by for each thread of the plurality of threads:

receiving, by the thread, the gather operation message header;

retrieving based on the SVD key, by the thread, an address where the shared resource data is stored in a memory partition associated with the thread; and

transmitting to the first thread, by the thread, the retrieved address as individual updated SVD information.

4. The computer of claim 1 wherein creating the gather operation message header for each entry of the SVD associated with the first thread further includes selecting a header type and data schedule for each gather operation message header.

5. The computer of claim 1 wherein broadcasting the gather operation message header to the plurality of threads using the system messaging layer of the protocol stack of the parallel computer includes transmitting an active message using a parallel active message interface (PAMI).

6. A computer program product for requesting shared variable directory (SVD) information from a plurality of threads 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 computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when installed and executed by a computer processor, cause the parallel computer to function by:

prior to detecting that a first thread requires a plurality of updated SVD information, creating a gather operation message header for each entry of an SVD associated with the first thread by storing each gather operation message header with the corresponding entry of the SVD associated with the first thread;

detecting, by a runtime optimizer of the parallel computer, that the first thread requires the plurality of updated SVD information associated with shared resource data stored in a plurality of memory partitions associated with a plurality of threads, each partition associated with a different thread;

in response to detecting that the first thread requires the updated SVD information, broadcasting, by the runtime optimizer, a gather operation message header corresponding to an entry of the SVD associated with the first thread to the plurality of threads using a system messaging layer of a protocol stack of the parallel computer, wherein the system messaging layer provides system-level data communications functions that support higher layers of the protocol stack, the gather operation message header indicating an SVD key corresponding to the required updated SVD information and a local address associated with the first thread to receive the plurality of updated SVD information associated with the SVD key; and

receiving at the local address, the plurality of updated SVD information from the plurality of threads.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when installed and executed by a computer processor, cause the parallel computer to function by updating based on the received plurality of updated SVD information, by the runtime optimizer, a SVD associated with the first thread.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when installed and executed by a computer processor, cause the parallel computer to function by for each thread of the plurality of threads:

receiving, by the thread, the gather operation message header;

retrieving based on the SVD key, by the thread, an address where the shared resource data is stored in a memory partition associated with the thread; and

transmitting to the first thread, by the thread, the retrieved address as individual updated SVD information.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein creating the gather operation message header for each entry of the SVD associated with the first thread further includes selecting a header type and data schedule for each gather operation message header.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein broadcasting the gather operation message header to the plurality of threads using the system messaging layer of the protocol stack of the parallel computer includes transmitting an active message using a parallel active message interface (PAMI).

11. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises a computer readable storage medium.