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At least 937 records · Page 52

Parallel computation with the force

A methodology, called the force, supports the construction of programs to be executed in parallel by a force of processes. The number of processes in the force is unspecified, but potentially very large. The force idea is embodied in a set of macros which produce multiproceossor FORTRAN code and has been studied on two shared memory multiprocessors of fairly different character. The method has simplified the writing of highly parallel programs within a limited class of parallel algorithms and is being extended to cover a broader class. The individual parallel constructs which comprise the force methodology are discussed. Of central concern are their semantics, implementation on different architectures and performance implications.

Jordan, H. F.↗

Array distribution in data-parallel programs

We consider distribution at compile time of the array data in a distributed-memory implementation of a data-parallel program written in a language like Fortran 90. We allow dynamic redistribution of data and define a heuristic algorithmic framework that chooses distribution parameters to minimize an estimate of program completion time. We represent the program as an alignment-distribution graph. We propose a divide-and-conquer algorithm for distribution that initially assigns a common distribution to each node of the graph and successively refines this assignment, taking computation, realignment, and redistribution costs into account. We explain how to estimate the effect of distribution on computation cost and how to choose a candidate set of distributions. We present the results of an implementation of our algorithms on several test problems.

Chatterjee, Siddhartha↗

Analysis of composite ablators using massively parallel computation

In this work, the feasibility of using massively parallel computation to study the response of ablative materials is investigated. Explicit and implicit finite difference methods are used on a massively parallel computer, the Thinking Machines CM-5. The governing equations are a set of nonlinear partial differential equations. The governing equations are developed for three sample problems: (1) transpiration cooling, (2) ablative composite plate, and (3) restrained thermal growth testing. The transpiration cooling problem is solved using a solution scheme based solely on the explicit finite difference method. The results are compared with available analytical steady-state through-thickness temperature and pressure distributions and good agreement between the numerical and analytical solutions is found. It is also found that a solution scheme based on the explicit finite difference method has the following advantages: incorporates complex physics easily, results in a simple algorithm, and is easily parallelizable. However, a solution scheme of this kind needs very small time steps to maintain stability. A solution scheme based on the implicit finite difference method has the advantage that it does not require very small times steps to maintain stability. However, this kind of solution scheme has the disadvantages that complex physics cannot be easily incorporated into the algorithm and that the solution scheme is difficult to parallelize. A hybrid solution scheme is then developed to combine the strengths of the explicit and implicit finite difference methods and minimize their weaknesses. This is achieved by identifying the critical time scale associated with the governing equations and applying the appropriate finite difference method according to this critical time scale. The hybrid solution scheme is then applied to the ablative composite plate and restrained thermal growth problems. The gas storage term is included in the explicit pressure calculation of both problems. Results from ablative composite plate problems are compared with previous numerical results which did not include the gas storage term. It is found that the through-thickness temperature distribution is not affected much by the gas storage term. However, the through-thickness pressure and stress distributions, and the extent of chemical reactions are different from the previous numerical results. Two types of chemical reaction models are used in the restrained thermal growth testing problem: (1) pressure-independent Arrhenius type rate equations and (2) pressure-dependent Arrhenius type rate equations. The numerical results are compared to experimental results and the pressure-dependent model is able to capture the trend better than the pressure-independent one. Finally, a performance study is done on the hybrid algorithm using the ablative composite plate problem. It is found that there is a good speedup of performance on the CM-5. For 32 CPU's, the speedup of performance is 20. The efficiency of the algorithm is found to be a function of the size and execution time of a given problem and the effective parallelization of the algorithm. It also seems that there is an optimum number of CPU's to use for a given problem.

Shia, David↗

An Integrated Data Analytics Platform

An Integrated Science Data Analytics Platform is an environment that enables the confluence of resources for scientific investigation. It harmonizes data, tools and computational resources which subsequently enable the research community to focus on the investigation rather than spending time on security, data preparation, management, etc. OceanWorks is a NASA technology integration project to establish a cloud-based Integrated Ocean Science Data Analytics Platform at NASA’s Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) for big ocean science. It focuses on advancement and maturity by bringing together several NASA open-source, big data projects for parallel analytics, anomaly detection, in-situ to satellite data matchup, quality-screened data subsetting, search relevancy, and data discovery. Our communities are relying on data distributed through data centers such as the PO.DAAC, COAPS, NCAR, and many others to conduct their research. In typical investigations, scientists would engage in: search for data, evaluate the relevance of that data, download it, and then apply algorithms to identify trends. Such workflow cannot scale if the research involves a massive amount of data or multi-variate measurements. NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is expected to produce massive amount of observational data during its 3-year nominal mission. Collections like SWOT challenges all existing Earth Science data archival, distribution and analysis paradigms. In this paper, we will discuss how OceanWorks enhances the analysis of physical ocean data where the computation is done on an elastic cloud platform next to the archive to deliver fast, web-accessible services for working with oceanographic measurements.

Yang, Chaowei↗

Turbopump Performance Improved by Evolutionary Algorithms

The development of design optimization technology for turbomachinery has been initiated using the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm under NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment and Revolutionary Aeropropulsion Concepts programs. As an alternative to the traditional gradient-based methods, evolutionary algorithms (EA's) are emergent design-optimization algorithms modeled after the mechanisms found in natural evolution. EA's search from multiple points, instead of moving from a single point. In addition, they require no derivatives or gradients of the objective function, leading to robustness and simplicity in coupling any evaluation codes. Parallel efficiency also becomes very high by using a simple master-slave concept for function evaluations, since such evaluations often consume the most CPU time, such as computational fluid dynamics. Application of EA's to multiobjective design problems is also straightforward because EA's maintain a population of design candidates in parallel. Because of these advantages, EA's are a unique and attractive approach to real-world design optimization problems.

Oyama, Akira↗

Performance limitations in parallel processor simulations

A jet-engine model is partitioned and simulated on a parallel processor system consisting of five 8086/8087 floating-point computers. The simulation uses Heun's integration method. A near-optimal parallel simulation (in the sense of minimum execution time) achieves speedup of only 2.13 and efficiency of 42.6 percent, in effect wasting 57.4 percent of the available processing power. A detailed analysis identifies and graphically demonstrates why the system fails to achieve ideal performance (viz., speedup of 5 and efficiency of 100 percent). Inherent characteristics of the problem equations and solution algorithm account for the loss of nearly half of the available processing power. Overheads associated with interprocessor communication and processor synchronization account for only a small fraction of the lost processing power. The effects of these and other factors which limit parallel processor performance are illustrated through real-time timing-analyzer tracers describing the run/idle status of the parallel processors during the simulation.

O'Grady, E. Pearse↗

Performance Evaluation of Three Distributed Computing Environments for Scientific Applications

We present performance results for three distributed computing environments using the three simulated CFD applications in the NAS Parallel Benchmark suite. These environments are the DCF cluster, the LACE cluster, and an Intel iPSC/860 machine. The DCF is a prototypic cluster of loosely coupled SGI R3000 machines connected by Ethernet. The LACE cluster is a tightly coupled cluster of 32 IBM RS6000/560 machines connected by Ethernet as well as by either FDDI or an IBM Allnode switch. Results of several parallel algorithms for the three simulated applications are presented and analyzed based on the interplay between the communication requirements of an algorithm and the characteristics of the communication network of a distributed system.

Fatoohi, Rod↗

Two criteria for the selection of assembly plans - Maximizing the flexibility of sequencing the assembly tasks and minimizing the assembly time through parallel execution of assembly tasks

The authors introduce two criteria for the evaluation and selection of assembly plans. The first criterion is to maximize the number of different sequences in which the assembly tasks can be executed. The second criterion is to minimize the total assembly time through simultaneous execution of assembly tasks. An algorithm that performs a heuristic search for the best assembly plan over the AND/OR graph representation of assembly plans is discussed. Admissible heuristics for each of the two criteria introduced are presented. Some implementation issues that affect the computational efficiency are addressed.

Homem De Mello, Luiz S.↗

Partitioning sparse matrices with eigenvectors of graphs

The problem of computing a small vertex separator in a graph arises in the context of computing a good ordering for the parallel factorization of sparse, symmetric matrices. An algebraic approach for computing vertex separators is considered in this paper. It is shown that lower bounds on separator sizes can be obtained in terms of the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix associated with a graph. The Laplacian eigenvectors of grid graphs can be computed from Kronecker products involving the eigenvectors of path graphs, and these eigenvectors can be used to compute good separators in grid graphs. A heuristic algorithm is designed to compute a vertex separator in a general graph by first computing an edge separator in the graph from an eigenvector of the Laplacian matrix, and then using a maximum matching in a subgraph to compute the vertex separator. Results on the quality of the separators computed by the spectral algorithm are presented, and these are compared with separators obtained from other algorithms for computing separators. Finally, the time required to compute the Laplacian eigenvector is reported, and the accuracy with which the eigenvector must be computed to obtain good separators is considered. The spectral algorithm has the advantage that it can be implemented on a medium-size multiprocessor in a straightforward manner.

Pothen, Alex↗

High Performance Parallel Methods for Space Weather Simulations

This is the final report of our NASA AISRP grant entitled 'High Performance Parallel Methods for Space Weather Simulations'. The main thrust of the proposal was to achieve significant progress towards new high-performance methods which would greatly accelerate global MHD simulations and eventually make it possible to develop first-principles based space weather simulations which run much faster than real time. We are pleased to report that with the help of this award we made major progress in this direction and developed the first parallel implicit global MHD code with adaptive mesh refinement. The main limitation of all earlier global space physics MHD codes was the explicit time stepping algorithm. Explicit time steps are limited by the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) condition, which essentially ensures that no information travels more than a cell size during a time step. This condition represents a non-linear penalty for highly resolved calculations, since finer grid resolution (and consequently smaller computational cells) not only results in more computational cells, but also in smaller time steps.

Hunter, Paul↗

Bio-Inspired Neural Model for Learning Dynamic Models

A neural-network mathematical model that, relative to prior such models, places greater emphasis on some of the temporal aspects of real neural physical processes, has been proposed as a basis for massively parallel, distributed algorithms that learn dynamic models of possibly complex external processes by means of learning rules that are local in space and time. The algorithms could be made to perform such functions as recognition and prediction of words in speech and of objects depicted in video images. The approach embodied in this model is said to be "hardware-friendly" in the following sense: The algorithms would be amenable to execution by special-purpose computers implemented as very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits that would operate at relatively high speeds and low power demands.

Duong, Tuan↗

Application of finite-element-techniques to the interaction of conduction and radiation in an absorbing, scattering and emitting medium

In this paper, the authors demonstrate that a Galerkin finite element method of analysis, utilizing isoparametric elements, offers a viable means of solving continuum thermal radiation problems with conduction in a participating medium. The participating medium was considered to be a gray radiation medium exhibiting isotropic absorption, emission, and scattering characteristics and optical properties that are independent of temperature. The medium was considered to be bounded by infinite parallel opaque, gray surfaces with diffuse emission and reflection characteristics. In solving this problem, a finite element formulation was developed to describe a system in radiative equilibrium. Then the results of this first analysis were linked with a second finite element model which incorporated conduction into the analysis. The results of this study were found to be in good agreement with existing published data. The model offers the following advantageous features: geometric generality, a computational algorithm which is 'convenient' and 'computable', and a functional basis for extension of the radiation model to higher order approximation.

Wu, S. T.↗

Moving target, distributed, real-time simulation using Ada

Research on a precompiler solution is described for the moving target compiler problem encountered when trying to run parallel simulation algorithms on several microcomputers. The precompiler is under development at NASA-Lewis for simulating jet engines. Since the behavior of any component of a jet engine, e.g., the fan inlet, rear duct, forward sensor, etc., depends on the previous behaviors and not the current behaviors of other components, the behaviors can be modeled on different processors provided the outputs of the processors reach other processors in appropriate time intervals. The simulator works in compute and transfer modes. The Ada procedure sets for the behaviors of different components are divided up and routed by the precompiler, which essentially receives a multitasking program. The subroutines are synchronized after each computation cycle.

Collins, W. R.↗

On k-ary n-cubes: Theory and applications

Many parallel processing networks can be viewed as graphs called k-ary n-cubes, whose special cases include rings, hypercubes and toruses. In this paper, combinatorial properties of k-ary n-cubes are explored. In particular, the problem of characterizing the subgraph of a given number of nodes with the maximum edge count is studied. These theoretical results are then used to compute a lower bounding function in branch-and-bound partitioning algorithms and to establish the optimality of some irregular partitions.

Mao, Weizhen↗

Towards real-time simulation of large space structures: Stabilization of fluid/thermal/structure interactions and implementation on high performance supercomputers

Within the Center for Space Construction, the SIMSTRUC project's objectives center around the development of simulation tools for the realistic analysis of large space structures. The word 'tools' is the broad sense; it designates mathematical models, finite element/finite difference formulations, computational algorithms, implementations on advanced computer architectures, and visualization capabilities. The results of our activities during the first year within the SIMSTRUC project are reported. On the modeling side, an alternative approach to fluid/thermal/structure interaction analysis that is a departure from the 'loosely coupled' and 'unified' approaches that are being currently practiced are described. The advantages of our approach both in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency were demonstrated. On the computational side, a software architecture for parallel/vector and massively parallel supercomputers that speeds up finite element and finite difference computations by several orders of magnitude is presented. As an example, the simulation of the deployment of a space structure that used to require over six hours of a workstation using a conventional finite element software, now runs on a multiprocessor using a parallel computation strategy in less than three seconds. In order to promote the physical understanding of the simulation behavior, a real-time visualization capability on the Connection Machine, which allows the analyst to watch the graphical animation of the results at the same time these are generated, was also developed. It is believed that by combining efficient analytical formulations with the state-of-the-art high performance computer implementations and superfast visualization capabilities, SIMSTRUC is moving fast towards the real-time simulation of large space structures. The designers as well as the researchers will certainly benefit from this technology.

Farhat, C.↗

The alignment-distribution graph

Implementing a data-parallel language such as Fortran 90 on a distributed-memory parallel computer requires distributing aggregate data objects (such as arrays) among the memory modules attached to the processors. The mapping of objects to the machine determines the amount of residual communication needed to bring operands of parallel operations into alignment with each other. We present a program representation called the alignment distribution graph that makes these communication requirements explicit. We describe the details of the representation, show how to model communication cost in this framework, and outline several algorithms for determining object mappings that approximately minimize residual communication.

Chatterjee, Siddhartha↗

NASA Tech Briefs, November 1995

The contents include: 1) Mission Accomplished; 2) Resource Report: Marshall Space Flight Center; 3) NASA 1995 Software of the Year Award; 4) Microbolometers Based on Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O(sub 7-x) Thin Films; 5) Garnet Random-Access Memory; 6) Fabrication of SNS Weak Links on SOS Substrates; 7) High-Voltage MOSFET Switching Circuit; 8) Asymmetric Switching for a PWM H-Bridge Power Circuit; 9) Better Ohmic Contacts for InP Semiconductor Devices; 10) Low-Bandgap Thermovoltaic Materials and Devices; 11) Digital Frequency-Differencing Circuit; 12) Imaging Magnetometer; 13) Computer-Assisted Monitoring of a Complex System; 14) Buffered Telemetry Demodulator; 15) Compact Multifunction Inspection Head; 16) Optical Detection of Fractures in Ceramic Diaphragms; 17) Eddy-Current Detection of Cracks in Reinforced Carbon/Carbon; 18) Apparent Thermal Conductivity of Multilayer Insulation; 19) Optimizing Misch-Metal Compositions in Metal Hydride Anodes; 20) Device for Sampling Surface Contamination; 21) Probabilistic Failure Assessment for Fatigue; 22) Probabilistic Fatigue and Flaw-Propagation Analysis; 23) Windows Program for Driving the TDU-850 Printer; 24) Subband/Transform MATLAB Functions for Processing Images; 25) Computing Equilibrium Chemical Compositions; 26) Program Processes Thermocouple Readings; 27) ICAN-Second-Generation Integrated Composite Analyzer; 28) Integrated Composite Analyzer with Damping Capabilities; 29) Computing Efficiency of Transfer of Microwave Power; 30) Program Calculates Power Demands of Electronic Designs; 31) Cost-Estimation Program; 32) Program Estimates Areas Required by Electronic Designs; 33) Program to Balance Mapped Turbopump Assemblies; 34) BiblioTech; 35) Controlling Mirror Tilt With a Bimorph Actuator; 36) Burst-Disk Device Simulates Effect of Pyrotechnic Device; 37) Bearing-Mounting Concept Accommodates Thermal Expansion; 38) Parallel-Plate Acoustic Absorbers for Hot Environments; 39) Adjustable-Length Strut Withstands Large Cyclic Loads; 40) Tool Indicates Contact Angles in Bearing Raceways; 41) Gravity Slides With Magnetic Braking; 42) High-Torque, Lightweight, Pneumatically Driven Wrench for Small Spaces; 43) Device for Testing Compatibility of an O-Ring; 44) Magnetic Heat Pump Containing Flow Diverters; 45) Variable-Tilt Helicopter Rotor Mast; 46) "Beach-Ball" Robotic Rovers; 47) Apparatus Would Measure Temperatures of Ball Bearings; 48) Flexible Borescope for Inspecting Ducts; 49) Texturing Copper To Reduce Secondary Emission of Electrons; 50) Automated Laser Cutting in Three Dimensions; 51) Algorithm Helps Monitor Engine Operation; 52) Flexible Revision of Data-Processing Communications; 53) Software for Managing the Use of Land; 54) Thermal Strap Increases Cryocooling Efficiency; 55) Reversible Nut With Engagement Indication; 56) Control Algorithms for Kinematically Redundant Manipulators; 57) Computed Hydrogen-Flow Splits in a Rocket Engine; 58) Pressure and Thermal Modeling of Rocket Launches; 59) Field of View of a Spacecraft Antenna: Analysis and Software; 60) Digital Controller for Laser-Beam-Steering Subsystem; 61) More About Beam-Steering Subsystem for Laser Communication; 62) Digital Controller for Laser-Beam-Steering Subsystem: Part 2; 63) Interface Circuit Board for Space-Shuttle Communications; 64) Automated Planning of Spacecraft Telecommunications; 65) Artifacts of Spectral Analysis of Instrument Readings; 66) Neural-Network Controller for Vibration Suppression; 67) Adaptive Finite-Element Computation in Fracture Mechanics; 68) Attitude Control for the Cassini Spacecraft; 69) Analytical Model for Fluid Dynamics in a Microgravity Environment; 70) Study of Rocket-Engine Joints Bonded by NVCU/NARloy-Z; 71) Improved Silicon Nitride for Advanced Heat Engines; 72) Parameters for Welding Aluminum/Lithium Alloys; 73) Lightweight Composite Intertank Structure; 74) Foil Patches Seal Small Vacuum Leaks; 75) Data Base on Cables and Connectors; 76) Effect of Clock Mode on Radiation Hardnessf an ADC; and 77) Fault-Tolerant Control for a Robotic Inspection System.

Source record↗

Sentinel

Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) are commonplace in network security but they frequently employ algorithms that are computational demanding requiring hardware and software with significant power requirements. Two examples of such resource-intensive algorithms used for network security are regular expression matching and broader signature pattern matching which are commonly used in deep packet inspection (DPI). Network security algorithms that have large power requirements may be a challenge for low-power internet-of-things (IoT) environments, which generally lack the power resources to implement complex security measures like computationally expensive DPI at the edge. Furthermore, IoT environments incorporating 5G standalone networks have network latency constraints beyond just power that make DPI at the edge even more difficult. Programmable logic is ideally suited for machine learning inference for DPI because of its deep instruction level parallelism and single-cycle memory access. Machine learning approaches for DPI have been explored before using the programmable logic of field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) as a potential solution for NIDS approaches that would be power-suitable for IoT. However, those previous programmable logic NIDS approaches utilize either a supervised or unsupervised learning model. Sentinel utilizes the ensemble of these two machine learning approaches known as a semi-supervised approach which has shown promise in NIDS implementations. Sentinel provides a programmable logic implementation of a semi-supervised approach for DPI which operates at much lower power and latency than a GPU implementation with negligible loss of accuracy due to quantization through a logistic regressor.

Anderson, MatthewW [Idaho National Laboratory (INL↗