Toward better simulation of MPI applications on ethernet/TCP networks

Paul Bédaride*, Augustin Degomme, Stéphane Genaud, Arnaud Legrand, George S. Markomanolis, Martin Quinson, Mark Stillwell, Frédéric Suter, Brice Videau

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Simulation and modeling for performance prediction and profiling is essential for developing and maintaining HPC code that is expected to scale for next-generation exascale systems, and correctly modeling network behavior is essential for creating realistic simulations. In this article we describe an implementation of a flow-based hybrid network model that accounts for factors such as network topology and contention, which are commonly ignored by other approaches. We focus on large-scale, Ethernet-connected systems, as these currently compose 37.8% of the TOP500 index, and this share is expected to increase as higher-speed 10 and 100GbE become more available. The European Mont-Blanc project, which studies exascale computing by developing prototype systems with low-power embedded devices, uses Ethernetbased interconnect. Our model is implemented within SMPI, an opensource MPI implementation that connects real applications to the SimGrid simulation framework. SMPI provides implementations of collective communications based on current versions of both OpenMPI and MPICH. SMPI and SimGrid also provide methods for easing the simulation of large-scale systems, including shadow execution, memory folding, and support for both online and offline (i.e., post-mortem) simulation. We validate our proposed model by comparing traces produced by SMPI with those from real world experiments, as well as with those obtained using other established network models. Our study shows that SMPI has a consistently better predictive power than classical LogPbased models for a wide range of scenarios including both established HPC benchmarks and real applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationHigh Performance Computing Systems
Subtitle of host publicationPerformance Modeling, Benchmarking and Simulation - 4th International Workshop, PMBS 2013, Revised Selected Papers
EditorsStephen A. Jarvis, Steven A. Wright, Simon D. Hammond
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages158-181
Number of pages24
ISBN (Electronic)9783319102139
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes
Event4th International Workshop on Performance Modeling, Benchmarking and Simulation of High-Performance Computing Systems, PMBS 2013 - Denver, United States
Duration: Nov 18 2013Nov 18 2013

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume8551
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Other

Other4th International Workshop on Performance Modeling, Benchmarking and Simulation of High-Performance Computing Systems, PMBS 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDenver
Period11/18/1311/18/13

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

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