Nov. 10, Assignment #3, due Nov. 16 @ 11:59 pm (10%)

Marking: For this assignment, the software and documentation are each worth 50%. Software that does not compile, link, and execute on lockhart will receive 0%. The report does not have to be beautifully bound, but should be presentable and not be hand written.

Red/Blue simulation with OpenMP

Now that you're thoroughly familiar with this problem and have done a pthreads solution, let's go back to the drawing board. Get out your original pseudocode and, of course taking into account any flaws you discovered in the course of implementing the pthreads version, start by making a serial program that produces correct results.

Then, just like we've done in the labs, begin parallelizing it using OpenMP. That's all! The command line arguments are the same as for A2, and it produces the same output file redblue.txt. Try to employ Parallel Inspector and Parallel Amplifier to good advantage. You'll be reporting on tool use in the documentation.

As with A2, the part that we want to time is just the simulation, excluding board initialization and final output. Continue using StartTime() and EndTime().

NOTE: It is not necessary to implement "interactive mode" in the OpenMP version, which should allow you to cut down the complexity.

Deliverables

Source code via electronic submission using Subversion under tag cis3090-A3 :

1. OpenMP red/blue simulation program "orbs" in Visual Studio "solution." Each source file that you create must include a file header containing your name and student number, the filename, and a brief description of the purpose of the file. Submissions lacking proper file headers will be penalized.

2. Accompanying Visual Studio files in the same directory, so that the solution can be readily opened and built. The odd-named files that are important are: .sln, .vcxproj, .vcsproj.user, and .vcxproj.filters. Please avoid adding/committing the numerous, large files produced by Parallel Inspector and Parallel Amplifier. We also don't need the subdirectories named Debug and Release.

Documentation, printed and delivered to class.

1. Write your impressions of working with Parallel Studio and OpenMP. Compare and contrast your pthreads experience.

2. Report on your use of Parallel Inspector and Amplifier. Explain how they helped you, or why they didn't.

3. Describe any changes you made to your application's architecture, data structures, and/or parallelization strategy in moving from a pthreads solution to OpenMP, and in trying to speed up the OpenMP version.

4. Make a timing graph of execution time (Y axis) vs. number of threads/cores (1-16 with at least 8 data points) using the set of arguments given directly below. Also make speedup and efficiency graphs based on the same data. Write some observations about the graphs. Did compiler optimization make a difference? Given the results, how scalable was your parallel architecture?

p [varies 1-16] b770 t110 c35 m2000 s888

This run should hit the density limit in 247 iterations.

Bonus marks

Same terms as for A2, including rematch.

Marks for Assignment #3

For the software, mark is 0-5 based chiefly on functionality:

5 = Parallel program that produces correct results, reports timings for any tested args, and shows decent application of omp pragmas

1 = Parallel program that runs cleanly, and is coded with omp pragmas to address the problem, but results are all incorrect or missing

0 = Fails to compile and link, or crashes without producing any results

In addition, small 1/2 mark penalties were deducted for specific "sins" as in A1.

For the documentation, start with 5 marks, then deduct 1 mark for any item missing, or 1/2 mark for any lame or poorly-done item. If you didn't have any working software to graph, you'll lose at least 1 mark to be fair to those who conducted timing and produced their graphs.

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