Parallel MATLAB Using Standard MPI Implementations

Abstract

Traditionally, applications written in MATLAB are oriented to single-processor systems. However, by applying standard parallel processing techniques and Message Passing Interface (MPI) implementations, these applications can benefit from the advantages of parallel computing. bcMPI facilitates this approach by providing MATLAB wrappers for calls to industrial-strength open-source MPI implementations such as MPICH and LAM-MPI. Originally written by the Ohio Supercomputing Center (OSC), the authors transformed bcMPI for general implementation. This result is independent of operating system, does not attempt to create another MPI implementation, and uses network message passing instead of shared files as in the Matlab MPI approach to parallel MATLAB. Strong potential for the porting of bcMPI to Simulink has also been demonstrated. With either MATLAB or Simulink, it is possible to generate stand-alone executables and go directly to production without a language-translation step. This removes a significant barrier to technology transition. The DoD version of bcMPI is freely available through DoD HPC Centers, making the tool accessible from anywhere via the user's desktop and standard Internet Kerberized connections.