This paper discusses the design of linear algebra libraries for high performance computers. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of scalable algorithms for MIMD distributed memory concurrent computers. A brief description of the EISPACK, LINPACK, and LAPACK libraries is given, followed by an outline of ScaLAPACK, which is a distributed memory version of LAPACK currently under development. The importance of block-partitioned algorithms in reducing the frequency of data movement between different levels of hierarchical memory is stressed. The use of such algorithms helps reduce the message startup costs on distributed memory concurrent computers. Other key ideas in our approach are the use of distributed versions of the Level 3 Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) as computational building blocks, and the use of Basic Linear Algebra Communication Subprograms (BLACS) as communication building blocks. Together the distributed BLAS and the BLACS can be used to construct highe...

This paper discusses issues in the design of ScaLAPACK, a software library for performing dense linear algebra computations on distributed memory concurrent computers. These issues are illustrated using the ScaLAPACK routines for reducing matrices to Hessenberg, tridiagonal, and bidiagonal forms. These routines are important in the solution of eigenproblems. The paper focuses on how building blocks are used to create higher-level library routines. Results are presented that demonstrate the scalability of the reduction routines. The most commonly-used building blocks used in ScaLAPACK are the sequential BLAS, the Parallel BLAS (PBLAS) and the Basic Linear Algebra Communication Subprograms (BLACS). Each of the matrix reduction algorithms consists of a series of steps in each of which one block column (or panel), and/or block row, of the matrix is reduced, followed by an update of the portion of the matrix that has not been factorized so far. This latter phase is performed usin...

This paper discusses the design of linear algebra libraries for high performance computers. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of scalable algorithms for MIMD distributed memory concurrent computers. A brief description of the EISPACK, LINPACK, and LAPACK libraries is given, followed by an outline of ScaLAPACK, which is a distributed memory version of LAPACK currently under development. The importance of block-partitioned algorithms in reducing the frequency of data movementbetween di#erent levels of hierarchical memory is stressed. The use of such algorithms helps reduce the message startup costs on distributed memory concurrent computers. Other key ideas in our approach are the use of distributed versions of the Level 3 Basic Linear Algebra Subgrams #BLAS# as computational building blocks, and the use of Basic Linear Algebra Communication Subprograms #BLACS# as communication building blocks. Together the distributed BLAS and the BLACS can be used to construct ...

The increasing availability of advanced-architecture computers is having a very significant effect on all spheres of scientific computation, including algorithm research and software development in numerical linear algebra. Linear algebra -- in particular, the solution of linear systems of equations and eigenvalue problems -- lies at the heart of most calculations in scientific computing. This chapter discusses some of the recent developments in linear algebra designed to help the user on advanced-architecture computers. Much of the work in developing linear algebra software for advanced-architecture computers is motivated by the need to solve large problems on the fastest computers available. In this chapter, we focus on four basic issues: (1) the motivation for the work; (2) the development of standards for use in linear algebra and the building blocks for a library; (3) aspects of templates for the solution of large sparse systems of linear algorithm; and (4) templates for the solu...

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In this paper we look at a number of approaches being investigated in the Center for Research on Parallel Computation (CRPC) to develop linear algebra software for high-performance computers. These approaches are exemplified by the LAPACK, templates, and ARPACK projects. LAPACK is a software library for performing dense and banded linear algebra computations, and was designed to run efficiently on high performance computers. We focus on the design of the distributed memory version of LAPACK, and on an object-oriented interface to LAPACK. The templates project aims at making the task of developing sparse linear algebra software simpler and easier. Reusable software templates are provided that the user can then customize to modify and optimize a particular algorithm, and hence build a more complex applications. ARPACK is a software package for solving large scale eigenvalue problems, and is based on an implicitly restarted variant of the Arnoldi scheme. The paper focuses on issues impact...

library: of a parallel dense linear algebra software