Lecture Notes

Slides for the lectures are provided in PDF or PostScript (PS) format.

• Introduction to Distributed and High-Performance Computing:
  Milestones in DHPC history; review of DHPC applications.
  PDF | PS

• High-Performance Computing architectures:
  An overview of the major classes of HPC architectures and their evolution.
  PDF | PS

• Parallel programming models and performance analysis:
  Parameterisation, modelling, performance analysis, efficiency, and benchmarking of DHPC systems.
  PDF | PS

• Programming parallel computers:
  Overview of parallel programming, parallel languages, parallelizing compilers, message passing and data parallel programming models.
  PDF | PS

• Message passing programming and MPI:
  Uses; historical background; current implementations; programming using the Message Passing Interface (MPI).
  PDF | PS

• Data parallel programming and HPF
  Uses; historical background; programming using High Performance Fortran (HPF); data parallel Java.
  (Notes only available in hardcopy).

• Case Study - Monte Carlo Simulation of the Ising Model:
  Case study from computational physics; different approaches to parallelism; regular vs irregular problems; techniques and tricks for parallel implementation in MPI and HPF.
  PDF | PS

• Distributed computing:
  Issues; transparency and design goals; shared file systems; architecture models; software requirements; protection and capabilities; location of services; time and ordering; latency; interprocess communication; shared memory communication; message passing communication; remote procedure calls; distributed systems issues.
  PDF | PS

• Distributed computing middleware:
  Middleware; DCE; CORBA; Java RMI.

• Metacomputing and cluster computing:
  Metacomputing over local and wide-area networks; cluster management systems; cluster computing environments; Beowulf PC clusters; Nexus and Globus; Legion; WAMM; WANE; MetaWeb; DISCWorld.
  

Slides for 1998 DHPC course are also available.