Performance Modeling and Evaluation of MPI

Abstract

Users of parallel machines need to have a good grasp for how different communication patterns and styles affect the performance of message-passing applications. LogGP is a simple performance model that reflects the most important parameters required to estimate the communication performance of parallel computers. The message passing interface (MPI) standard provides new opportunities for developing high performance parallel and distributed applications. In this paper, we use LogGP as a conceptual framework for evaluating the performance of MPI communications on three platforms: Cray-Research T3D, Convex Exemplar 1600SP, and a network of workstations (NOW). We develop a simple set of communication benchmarks to extract the LogGP parameters. Our objective in this is to compare the performance of MPI communication on several platforms and to identify a performance model suitable for MPI performance characterization. In particular, two problems are addressed: how LogGP quantifies MPI performance and what extra features are required for modeling MPI, and how MPI performance compare on the three computing platforms: Cray Research T3D, Convex Exemplar 1600SP, and workstations clusters.