Visualization of do-loop performance using AVS

Abstract

Performance visualization is the use of graphical display techniques for the analysis of performance data in order to improve understanding of complex performance phenomena. Performance visualization systems for parallel programs have been helpful in the past and they are commonly used in order to improve parallel program performance. However, despite the advances that have been made in visualizing scientific data, techniques for visualizing performance of parallel programs remain ad hoc and performace visualization becomes more difficult as the parallel system becomes more complex. Massively parallel processors can produce a huge amount of performance data and sophisticated methods for representing and displaying this data are required. The use of scientific visualization tools (e.g. AVS, Application Visualization System) to display performance data is becoming a very poewrful alternative to support performance analysis of parallel programs. One advantage of this approach is that no tool development is required and that every feature of the data visualization tool can be used for further data analysis. In this paper the Do-Loop-Surface (DLS) display, an abstract view of the performance of a particular do-loop in a program implemented using AVS, is presented as an example on how a data visualization tool can be used to define new abstract representations of performance, helping the user to analyze complex data potentially generated by a large number of processors.