SL_Library

The PLAPACK project investigates interfaces and implementations of dense and sparse parallel linear algebra libraries. This project is unique in that it concentrates on convenient interfaces. It is our conclusion that this can only be achieved by distributing the vectors in a linear system first, which then induces the matrix distribution. Justification for this lies in the fact that the physical problem leads to a mathematical model, involving two spaces and an operator. It is these spaces that represent the problem. Discretization of the mathematical model leads to vectors, which hold the solution and right hand side, and the matrix, which is the discretized operator. Physically Based Matrix Distribution is based on these ideas. The interface that allows information from the physical problem and/or mathematical model to be passed down to the library is called the Physically Distributed Matrix Interface .

The SL_library is a prototype implementation for PLAPACK. Here SL stands for Simple Library. It was created in part to investigate techniques required for the PLAPACK library, and in part to provide an infrastructure for the course "Parallel Techniques for Numerical Algorithms" taught by Robert van de Geijn at the University of Texas at Austin.

SL_library: reference manual

John Gunnels now maintains this manual

SL_library: Users' Guide

In preparation. Notice that we are changing a number of calling sequences. Due to the inconsistency between the currently available library and this guide, which reflects the next release, we have temporarily disabled this button. Check the above reference manual instead. Feel free to contact us at plapackers@cs.utexas.edu if you need access.

Related reading

Manuscripts in progress

PLAPACK Working Notes

  1. C. Edwards, P. Geng, A. Patra, and R. van de Geijn, "Parallel Matrix Decompositions: have we been doing it all wrong?" PLAPACK Working Note #1, TR-95-39, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Texas, Oct. 1995.

  2. Robert van de Geijn and Jerrell Watts "SUMMA: Scalable Universal Matrix Multiplication Algorithm," PLAPACK Working Note #2, Department of Computer Sciences, The Unversity of Texas, TR-95-13, April 1995.
    Also: LAPACK Working Note #96 , May 1995.
    Journal version: Concurrency: Practice and Experience, to appear.

  3. Brian Grayson and Robert van de Geijn "A High Performance Parallel Strassen Implementation," PLAPACK Working Note #3, Parallel Processing Letters, to appear.

  4. Almadena Chtchelkanova, John Gunnels, Greg Morrow, James Overfelt, Robert A. van de Geijn, "Parallel Implementation of BLAS: General Techniques for Level 3 BLAS," PLAPACK Working Note #4, TR-95-40, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Texas, Oct. 1995.
    Journal version: Concurrency: Practice and Experience, to appear.

  5. Almadena Chtchelkanova, Carter Edwards, John Gunnels, Greg Morrow, James Overfelt, Robert van de Geijn, "Towards Usable and Lean Parallel Linear Algebra Libraries," PLAPACK Working Note #5, TR-96-09, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Texas, May 1996.
    Conference version: Supercomputing 96, submitted.

Overhead foils used at the BLAS workshop in Tennessee

Other Overhead foils

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