Parallel load-balancing on message passing architectures
Parallel load-balancing on message passing architectures
This thesis investigates and develops dynamic load-balancing mechanisms on distributed-memory MIMD machines. Load-balancing is essential for efficient computation on parallel processors. The primary objective of load-balancing mechanisms is to achieve a balanced and therefore efficient utilisation of processing resources. In particular, the investigations described here facilitate portability of the user application, since the thesis concentrates on system-level load-balancing mechanisms. The load-balancing mechanisms studied are also suitable for systems that can vary in size, concentrating on methods with potential for scalability. The selected implementation environment is composed of T800 transputers programed in the occam and `C' languages and an automatic routing package communication software mechanism (the Virtual Channel Router). Careful consideration was given to develop generic mechanisms that would be applicable to a wide range of processing architectures, not just those built from transputers.
The research was initially focused on user-transparent dynamic migration load-balancing mechanisms with a subsequent investigation of dynamic placement load-balancing approaches. Synthetic user application models together with a processor `busyness'-level measurement were implemented to provide a testbed in order to evaluate these proposed mechanisms. The application model utilising the dynamic placement approach generates tasks, at execution time, through a multiple-spawning mechanism based on remote procedural calls. This spawning mechanism enables dynamic verification of processing availability, as well as the characterisation of global placement space and competition for resources. A real application chosen from the field of computer graphics (ray-tracing) was also implemented, within the framework presented above, to provide a further example of the applicability of the dynamic placement load-balancing mechanism.
University of Southampton
Muniz, Francisco Junqueira
1994
Muniz, Francisco Junqueira
Muniz, Francisco Junqueira
(1994)
Parallel load-balancing on message passing architectures.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis investigates and develops dynamic load-balancing mechanisms on distributed-memory MIMD machines. Load-balancing is essential for efficient computation on parallel processors. The primary objective of load-balancing mechanisms is to achieve a balanced and therefore efficient utilisation of processing resources. In particular, the investigations described here facilitate portability of the user application, since the thesis concentrates on system-level load-balancing mechanisms. The load-balancing mechanisms studied are also suitable for systems that can vary in size, concentrating on methods with potential for scalability. The selected implementation environment is composed of T800 transputers programed in the occam and `C' languages and an automatic routing package communication software mechanism (the Virtual Channel Router). Careful consideration was given to develop generic mechanisms that would be applicable to a wide range of processing architectures, not just those built from transputers.
The research was initially focused on user-transparent dynamic migration load-balancing mechanisms with a subsequent investigation of dynamic placement load-balancing approaches. Synthetic user application models together with a processor `busyness'-level measurement were implemented to provide a testbed in order to evaluate these proposed mechanisms. The application model utilising the dynamic placement approach generates tasks, at execution time, through a multiple-spawning mechanism based on remote procedural calls. This spawning mechanism enables dynamic verification of processing availability, as well as the characterisation of global placement space and competition for resources. A real application chosen from the field of computer graphics (ray-tracing) was also implemented, within the framework presented above, to provide a further example of the applicability of the dynamic placement load-balancing mechanism.
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Published date: 1994
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Local EPrints ID: 462653
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/462653
PURE UUID: 77a2db80-e78c-43e3-a981-37e44dab8bb1
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 19:36
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 19:36
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Author:
Francisco Junqueira Muniz
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