Computer Science @ UC Davis | Course Descriptions

ECS 158 PROGRAMMING ON PARALLEL ARCHITECTURES (4) III

Lecture: 3 hours

Prerequisites: Course ECS 150; ECS 154B recommended

Grading: Letter; two midterms (20% each), final exam (40%) and programming work (20%)

Catalog Description:
Techniques for software development using the shared-memory and message-passing paradigms, on parallel architectures and networks of workstations. Locks, barriers and other techniques for synchronization. Introduction to parallel algorithms.

Expanded Course Description:

Programming Paradigms
1. Shared-memory
2. Message-passing
3. Bulletin-board (tuple space)
4. Distributed shared memory (DSM)
5. Software packages: MPI, PVM, Linda, p4, Adsmith, pthreads
Overview of Parallel Architectures
1. Shared-memory and message-passing hardware
2. Interconnect structures, e.g. bus, crossbar,Omega-net, mesh
3. Cache coherency
Interprocess Synchronization
1. Review of operating systems material: Processes, timesharing, OS-based interprocess synchronization
2. Synchronization hardware, e.g. test-and-set and fetch-and-add instructions
3. Locks, barriers
Latency Problems
1. Memory/network delays
2. Latency hiding, e.g. using nonblocking messages
Collective Communication
1. Broadcast, scatter/gather, all-scatter/all-gather
Overview of Parallel Applications
1. Sorting, database
2. Graph algorithms
3. Scientific computing

Textbook:
Instructor's class notes.

Computer Usage:
Extensive programming assignments on our CSIF networked machines. The shared-memory work is done using Adsmith and the MulSim simulator, and the message-passing component using MPI.

Engineering Design Statement:
Students in the course write sophisticated, systems-level programs according to their own design. Many of the programs involve analysis of tradeoffs between efficient use of the hardware and ease of programming.

ABET Category Content:
Engineering Science: 2 units
Engineering Design: 2 units

Goals:
Student will:

learn techniques of software development using the shared-memory and message-passing paradigms on parallel architectures and networks of workstations
be introduced to parallel algorithms

Student Outcomes:

An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
A knowledge of contemporary issues

Instructors: M. Farrens, N. Matloff , R. Pandey, K. Ma

Prepared By: N. Matloff (November 2003)

Overlap Statement:
Comparison of this course with other existing courses does not indicate any significant overlap.

Back to Course Descriptions