Performance Analysis of Parallel FEM Codes Using TAU Toolkits

Abstract

Domain decomposition method is a popular algorithm, which is adopted to the parallel finite element method(FEM). The formulation for solving sparse linear systems of equations is presented. The TAU performance analysis software is used to analyze and understand the execution behavior of the parallel algorithm such as: communication patterns, processor load balance, and computation versus communication ratios, timing characteristics, and processor idle time. This is all done by displays of post-mortem trace-files. Performance bottlenecks can easily be identified at the appropriate level of detail. A large-scale mechanical calculation of a dam by the parallel FEM program was brought out using the Dawning 5000A parallel computer at the Henan technical University Supercomputer Center. The TAU performance analysis software are used to analyze and understand the execution behavior of the parallel algorithm such as: communication patterns, processor load balance, computation versus communication ratios, timing characteristics, and processor idle time. This is all done by displays of post-mortem trace-files. Statistics show that the formulation is efficient in parallel computing environments and that the formulation is significantly faster and consumes less memory.