We propose lightweight middleware solutions that facilitate and simplify the execution of MPI programs across multidomain clusters. The system described in this paper leverages H2O, a distributed metacomputing framework, to route MPI message passing across heterogeneous aggregates located in different administrative or network domains. MPI programs instantiate a specially written H2O pluglet; messages that are destined for remote sites are intercepted and transparently forwarded to their final destinations. The software was written and tested in a simulated environment, with a focus on clusters behind firewalls. Qualitatively it was demonstrated that the proposed technique is indeed effective in enabling communication across firewalls by MPI programs. In addition, tests showed only a small drop in performance, acceptable considering the substantial added functionality of sharing new resources across different administrative domains.
Peter Hwang, Dawid Kurzyniec, Vaidy S. Sunderam