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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,009 records · Page 56

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1996

Aerodynamic Influence Coefficient Computations Using Euler/Navier-Stokes Equations on Parallel Computers

Modem design requirements for an aircraft push current technologies used in the design process to their limit or sometimes require more advanced technologies to meet the requirement. New design requirements always demand to improve the operational performance. Accurate prediction of aerodynamic coefficients is essential to improve the performance. For example, in the design of an advanced subsonic civil transport, since the fluid flow at transonic regime shows strong nonlinearities, high fidelity equations, such as the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations predict flow characteristics more accurately than the linear aerodynamics, which are widely used in the current design process However, high fidelity flow equations are computationally expensive and require an order of magnitude longer time to obtain aerodynamic coefficients required in the design. Parallel computing is one possibility to cut down the computational turn-around time in using high fidelity equations so that high fidelity equations would be incorporated into the design process. By doing so, high fidelity equations would be used in the routine design process. This work will demonstrate the feasibility of using high fidelity flow equations in a design process by computing aerodynamic influence coefficients of a wing-body-empennage configuration on a multiple-instruction, multiple-data parallel computer.

Byun, Chansup↗

NASA NTRS1996

Performance Evaluation in Network-Based Parallel Computing

Network-based parallel computing is emerging as a cost-effective alternative for solving many problems which require use of supercomputers or massively parallel computers. The primary objective of this project has been to conduct experimental research on performance evaluation for clustered parallel computing. First, a testbed was established by augmenting our existing SUNSPARCs' network with PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) which is a software system for linking clusters of machines. Second, a set of three basic applications were selected. The applications consist of a parallel search, a parallel sort, a parallel matrix multiplication. These application programs were implemented in C programming language under PVM. Third, we conducted performance evaluation under various configurations and problem sizes. Alternative parallel computing models and workload allocations for application programs were explored. The performance metric was limited to elapsed time or response time which in the context of parallel computing can be expressed in terms of speedup. The results reveal that the overhead of communication latency between processes in many cases is the restricting factor to performance. That is, coarse-grain parallelism which requires less frequent communication between processes will result in higher performance in network-based computing. Finally, we are in the final stages of installing an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch and four ATM interfaces (each 155 Mbps) which will allow us to extend our study to newer applications, performance metrics, and configurations.

Dezhgosha, Kamyar↗

NASA NTRS2005

Parallel Domain Decomposition Formulation and Software for Large-Scale Sparse Symmetrical/Unsymmetrical Aeroacoustic Applications

The overall objectives of this research work are to formulate and validate efficient parallel algorithms, and to efficiently design/implement computer software for solving large-scale acoustic problems, arised from the unified frameworks of the finite element procedures. The adopted parallel Finite Element (FE) Domain Decomposition (DD) procedures should fully take advantages of multiple processing capabilities offered by most modern high performance computing platforms for efficient parallel computation. To achieve this objective. the formulation needs to integrate efficient sparse (and dense) assembly techniques, hybrid (or mixed) direct and iterative equation solvers, proper pre-conditioned strategies, unrolling strategies, and effective processors' communicating schemes. Finally, the numerical performance of the developed parallel finite element procedures will be evaluated by solving series of structural, and acoustic (symmetrical and un-symmetrical) problems (in different computing platforms). Comparisons with existing "commercialized" and/or "public domain" software are also included, whenever possible.

Nguyen, D. T.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Parallel quantum computing simulations via quantum accelerator platform virtualization

Quantum circuit execution is a central task in quantum computation. Due to inherent quantum-mechanical constraints, quantum computing workflows often involve a considerable number of independent measurements over a large set of slightly different quantum circuits. Here we discuss a simple model for parallelizing such quantum circuit executions that is based on introducing a large array of virtual quantum processing units (mapped to HPC nodes in our case) as a parallel quantum computing platform. Implemented within the XACC framework, the model can readily take advantage of its backend-agnostic features, enabling parallel quantum computing/simulation over any target backend supported by XACC. We illustrate the performance of this approach by demonstrating strong scaling in two pertinent domain science problems, namely in computing the gradients for the multi-contracted variational quantum eigensolver and in data-driven quantum circuit learning, where we vary the number of qubits and the number of circuit layers. Here, the latter simulation leverages the cuQuantum library to run efficiently on GPU-accelerated HPC platforms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1996

An interactive parallel programming environment applied in atmospheric science

This article introduces an interactive parallel programming environment (IPPE) that simplifies the generation and execution of parallel programs. One of the tasks of the environment is to generate message-passing parallel programs for homogeneous and heterogeneous computing platforms. The parallel programs are represented by using visual objects. This is accomplished with the help of a graphical programming editor that is implemented in Java and enables portability to a wide variety of computer platforms. In contrast to other graphical programming systems, reusable parts of the programs can be stored in a program library to support rapid prototyping. In addition, runtime performance data on different computing platforms is collected in a database. A selection process determines dynamically the software and the hardware platform to be used to solve the problem in minimal wall-clock time. The environment is currently being tested on a Grand Challenge problem, the NASA four-dimensional data assimilation system.

Interactive Display Devices↗

NASA NTRS1995

RISC Processors and High Performance Computing

In this tutorial, we will discuss top five current RISC microprocessors: The IBM Power2, which is used in the IBM RS6000/590 workstation and in the IBM SP2 parallel supercomputer, the DEC Alpha, which is in the DEC Alpha workstation and in the Cray T3D; the MIPS R8000, which is used in the SGI Power Challenge; the HP PA-RISC 7100, which is used in the HP 700 series workstations and in the Convex Exemplar; and the Cray proprietary processor, which is used in the new Cray J916. The architecture of these microprocessors will first be presented. The effective performance of these processors will then be compared, both by citing standard benchmarks and also in the context of implementing a real applications. In the process, different programming models such as data parallel (CM Fortran and HPF) and message passing (PVM and MPI) will be introduced and compared. The latest NAS Parallel Benchmark (NPB) absolute performance and performance per dollar figures will be presented. The next generation of the NP13 will also be described. The tutorial will conclude with a discussion of general trends in the field of high performance computing, including likely future developments in hardware and software technology, and the relative roles of vector supercomputers tightly coupled parallel computers, and clusters of workstations. This tutorial will provide a unique cross-machine comparison not available elsewhere.

Saini, Subhash↗

NASA NTRS1995

An executable specification for the message processor in a simple combining network

While the primary function of the network in a parallel computer is to communicate data between processors, it is often useful if the network can also perform rudimentary calculations. That is, some simple processing ability in the network itself, particularly for performing parallel prefix computations, can reduce both the volume of data being communicated and the computational load on the processors proper. Unfortunately, typical implementations of such networks require a large fraction of the hardware budget, and so combining networks are viewed as being impractical. The FFP Machine has such a combining network, and various characteristics of the machine allow a good deal of simplification in the network design. Despite being simple in construction however, the network relies on many subtle details to work correctly. This paper describes an executable model of the network which will serve several purposes. It provides a complete and detailed description of the network which can substantiate its ability to support necessary functions. It provides an environment in which algorithms to be run on the network can be designed and debugged more easily than they would on physical hardware. Finally, it provides the foundation for exploring the design of the message receiving facility which connects the network to the individual processors.

Middleton, David↗

NASA NTRS1982

A Module Experimental Process System Development Unit (MEPSDU)

Restructuring research objectives from a technical readiness demonstration program to an investigation of high risk, high payoff activities associated with producing photovoltaic modules using non-CZ sheet material is reported. Deletion of the module frame in favor of a frameless design, and modification in cell series parallel electrical interconnect configuration are reviewed. A baseline process sequence was identified for the fabrication of modules using the selected dendritic web sheet material, and economic evaluations of the sequence were completed.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1988

Low level image processing techniques using the pipeline image processing engine in the flight telerobotic servicer

The sensory processing system for the NASA/NBS Standard Reference Model (NASREM) for telerobotic control is described. This control system architecture was adopted by NASA of the Flight Telerobotic Servicer. The control system is hierarchically designed and consists of three parallel systems: task decomposition, world modeling, and sensory processing. The Sensory Processing System is examined, and in particular the image processing hardware and software used to extract features at low levels of sensory processing for tasks representative of those envisioned for the Space Station such as assembly and maintenance are described.

Nashman, Marilyn↗

NASA NTRS1992

Parallel implementation of an algorithm for Delaunay triangulation

This work concerns the theory and practice of implementing Tanemura's algorithm for 3D Delaunay triangulation on Intel's Gamma prototype, a 128 processor MIMD computer. Tanemura's algorithm does not vectorize to any significant degree and requires indirect addressing. Efficient implementation on a conventional, vector processing, supercomputer is problematic. Efficient implementation on a parallel architecture is possible, however. In this work, speeds in excess of 8 times a single processor Cray Y-mp are realized on 128 processors of the Intel Gamma prototype.

Merriam, Marshall L.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Performance analysis of fault-tolerant systems in parallel execution of conversations

The execution overhead inherent in the conversation scheme, which is a scheme for realizing fault-tolerant cooperating processes free of the domino effect, is analyzed. Multiprocessor/multicomputer systems capable of parallel execution of conversation components are considered and a queuing network model of such systems is adopted. Based on the queuing model, various performance indicators, including system throughput, average number of processors idling inside a conversation due to the synchronization required, and average time spent in the conversation, have been evaluated numerically for several application environments. The numeric results are discussed and several essential performance characteristics of the conversation scheme are derived. For example, when the number of participant processes is not large, say less than six, the system performance is highly affected by the synchronization required on the processes in a conversation, and not so much by the probability of acceptance-test failure.

Kim, K. H.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Data-flow parallelism for high-energy and nuclear physics computing frameworks

The processing tasks of a scientific workflow in high-energy and nuclear physics (HENP) can typically be represented as a directed acyclic graph formed according to the data flow—i.e. the data dependencies among algorithms executed as part of the workflow. With this representation, an HENP computing framework can optimally execute a workflow, exploiting the parallelism inherent among independent tasks. Despite such a natural description of a workflow, most HENP frameworks do not make use of technologies that provide concurrent execution of graph-based tasking structures. In this session, we describe Fermilab efforts to adopt a graph-based technology (specifically Intel’s oneTBB flow graph) for meeting the framework needs of its experiments, notably DUNE. After introducing the physics DUNE intends to explore, we will show that all common processing idioms supported by current HENP frameworks can naturally be supported by oneTBB’s data-flow technology, optimally leveraging the concurrent capabilities of the machine. In addition, we discuss collaborative efforts between Fermilab and the Intel oneTBB development team, who is considering improvements to the flow-graph technology to better support HENP use cases.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2011

High-Performance Data Analysis Tools for Sun-Earth Connection Missions

The data analysis tool of choice for many Sun-Earth Connection missions is the Interactive Data Language (IDL) by ITT VIS. The increasing amount of data produced by these missions and the increasing complexity of image processing algorithms requires access to higher computing power. Parallel computing is a cost-effective way to increase the speed of computation, but algorithms oftentimes have to be modified to take advantage of parallel systems. Enhancing IDL to work on clusters gives scientists access to increased performance in a familiar programming environment. The goal of this project was to enable IDL applications to benefit from both computing clusters as well as graphics processing units (GPUs) for accelerating data analysis tasks. The tool suite developed in this project enables scientists now to solve demanding data analysis problems in IDL that previously required specialized software, and it allows them to be solved orders of magnitude faster than on conventional PCs. The tool suite consists of three components: (1) TaskDL, a software tool that simplifies the creation and management of task farms, collections of tasks that can be processed independently and require only small amounts of data communication; (2) mpiDL, a tool that allows IDL developers to use the Message Passing Interface (MPI) inside IDL for problems that require large amounts of data to be exchanged among multiple processors; and (3) GPULib, a tool that simplifies the use of GPUs as mathematical coprocessors from within IDL. mpiDL is unique in its support for the full MPI standard and its support of a broad range of MPI implementations. GPULib is unique in enabling users to take advantage of an inexpensive piece of hardware, possibly already installed in their computer, and achieve orders of magnitude faster execution time for numerically complex algorithms. TaskDL enables the simple setup and management of task farms on compute clusters. The products developed in this project have the potential to interact, so one can build a cluster of PCs, each equipped with a GPU, and use mpiDL to communicate between the nodes and GPULib to accelerate the computations on each node.

Messmer, Peter↗

NASA NTRS1992

Scheduling message processing for reducing rollback propagation

Traditional checkpointing and rollback recovery techniques for parallel systems have typically assumed the communication pattern is specified by program behavior. In this paper we exploit the property that the communication pattern can often be changed at run-time without affecting program correctness. A scheduling algorithm for message processing and its implementation for reducing rollback propagation are described. The algorithm incorporates a user-transparent prioritized scheme based upon the run-time communication and checkpointing history. Communication trace-driven simulation for several parallel programs written in the Chare Kernel language demonstrates that the probability of rollback propagation can be reduced at the cost of slight additional performance degradation.

Wang, Yi-Min↗

NASA NTRS2001

Parallelization of Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST3D)

This paper describes the parallelization of the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST3D). POST3D uses a gradient-based optimization algorithm that reaches an optimum design point by moving from one design point to the next. The gradient calculations required to complete the optimization process, dominate the computational time and have been parallelized using a Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) on a distributed memory NUMA (non-uniform memory access) architecture. The Origin2000 was used for the tests presented.

Hammond, Dana P.↗

NASA NTRS2013

SequenceL: Automated Parallel Algorithms Derived from CSP-NT Computational Laws

With the introduction of new parallel architectures like the cell and multicore chips from IBM, Intel, AMD, and ARM, as well as the petascale processing available for highend computing, a larger number of programmers will need to write parallel codes. Adding the parallel control structure to the sequence, selection, and iterative control constructs increases the complexity of code development, which often results in increased development costs and decreased reliability. SequenceL is a high-level programming language that is, a programming language that is closer to a human s way of thinking than to a machine s. Historically, high-level languages have resulted in decreased development costs and increased reliability, at the expense of performance. In recent applications at JSC and in industry, SequenceL has demonstrated the usual advantages of high-level programming in terms of low cost and high reliability. SequenceL programs, however, have run at speeds typically comparable with, and in many cases faster than, their counterparts written in C and C++ when run on single-core processors. Moreover, SequenceL is able to generate parallel executables automatically for multicore hardware, gaining parallel speedups without any extra effort from the programmer beyond what is required to write the sequen tial/singlecore code. A SequenceL-to-C++ translator has been developed that automatically renders readable multithreaded C++ from a combination of a SequenceL program and sample data input. The SequenceL language is based on two fundamental computational laws, Consume-Simplify- Produce (CSP) and Normalize-Trans - pose (NT), which enable it to automate the creation of parallel algorithms from high-level code that has no annotations of parallelism whatsoever. In our anecdotal experience, SequenceL development has been in every case less costly than development of the same algorithm in sequential (that is, single-core, single process) C or C++, and an order of magnitude less costly than development of comparable parallel code. Moreover, SequenceL not only automatically parallelizes the code, but since it is based on CSP-NT, it is provably race free, thus eliminating the largest quality challenge the parallelized software developer faces.

Cooke, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS1987

Plasma simulation using the massively parallel processor

Two dimensional electrostatic simulation codes using the particle-in-cell model are developed on the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP). The conventional plasma simulation procedure that computes electric fields at particle positions by means of a gridded system is found inefficient on the MPP. The MPP simulation code is thus based on the gridless system in which particles are assigned to processing elements and electric fields are computed directly via Discrete Fourier Transform. Currently, the gridless model on the MPP in two dimensions is about nine times slower that the gridded system on the CRAY X-MP without considering I/O time. However, the gridless system on the MPP can be improved by incorporating a faster I/O between the staging memory and Array Unit and a more efficient procedure for taking floating point sums over processing elements. The initial results suggest that the parallel processors have the potential for performing large scale plasma simulations.

Lin, C. S.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Electric currents and voltage drops along auroral field lines

An assessment is presented of the current state of knowledge concerning Birkeland currents and the parallel electric field, with discussions focusing on the Birkeland primary region 1 sheets, the region 2 sheets which parallel them and appear to close in the partial ring current, the cusp currents (which may be correlated with the interplanetary B(y) component), and the Harang filament. The energy required by the parallel electric field and the associated particle acceleration processes appears to be derived from the Birkeland currents, for which evidence is adduced from particles, inverted V spectra, rising ion beams and expanded loss cones. Conics may on the other hand signify acceleration by electrostatic ion cyclotron waves associated with beams accelerated by the parallel electric field.

Stern, D. P.↗