Message passing in computer clusters

<a href="/facts/Message_passing/RYf3hD3J">Message passing</a> is an inherent element of all <a href="/facts/Computer_cluster/mT7S1BcX">computer clusters</a>. All computer clusters, ranging from homemade <a href="/facts/Beowulf_cluster/umsNXl3k">Beowulfs</a> to some of the fastest <a href="/facts/Supercomputers/HT9NwGAN">supercomputers</a> in the world, rely on message passing to coordinate the activities of the many nodes they encompass. Message passing in computer clusters built with commodity <a href="/facts/Server_(computing)/dEaYFD7r">servers</a> and <a href="/facts/Network_switch/CnvmhNYT">switches</a> is used by virtually every internet service.
Recently, the use of computer clusters with more than one thousand nodes has been spreading. As the number of nodes in a cluster increases, the rapid growth in the complexity of the communication subsystem makes message passing delays over the <a href="/facts/Switched_fabric/TwfTsu3e">interconnect</a> a serious performance issue in the execution of <a href="/facts/Parallel_program/nQzcpzQt">parallel programs</a>.
Specific tools may be used to simulate, visualize and understand the performance of message passing on computer clusters. Before a large computer cluster is assembled, a <a href="/facts/Trace-based_simulator/MqVwBwDU">trace-based simulator</a> can use a small number of nodes to help predict the performance of message passing on larger configurations. Following test runs on a small number of nodes, the simulator reads the execution and message transfer <a href="/facts/Computer_data_logging/p7FHf8mA">log files</a> and simulates the performance of the messaging subsystem when many more messages are exchanged between a much larger number of nodes.

Message passing in computer clusters open-in-new

Message passing in computer clusters