Comparing the Optimal Performance of Different MIMD Multiprocessor Architectures

We compare the performance of systems consisting of one large cluster containing q processors with systems where processors are grouped into k clusters containing u processors each. A parallel program, consisting of n processes, is executed on this system. Processes may be relocated between the processors in a cluster. They may, however, not be relocated from one cluster to another. The performance criterion is the completion time of the parallel program. We present two functions: g(n,k,u,q) and G(k,u,q). Provided that we can find optimal or near optimal schedules, these functions put optimal upper bounds on the gain of using one cluster containing q processors compared to using k clusters containing u processors each. The function g(n,k,u,q) is valid for programs with n processes, whereas G(k,u,q) only depends on the two multiprocessor architectures. By evaluating g(n,k,u,q) and G(k,u,q) we show that the gain of increasing the cluster size from 1 to 2 and from 2 to 4 is relatively la...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: IPPS
• Authors: Lars Lundberg, Håkan Lennerstad
• Keywords: Distributed And Parallel Computing, IPPS 1998, Large Cluster, Parallel Program, Processors