FINESSE: a prototype feedback-guided performance enhancement system

FINESSE is a prototype environment designed to support rapid development of parallel programs for single-address space computers by both expert and non-expert programmers. The environment provides semi-automatic support for systematic, feedback-based reduction of the various classes of overhead associated with parallel execution. The characterisation of parallel performance by overhead analysis is first reviewed, and then the functionality provided by FINESSE is described. The utility of this environment is demonstrated by using it to develop parallel implementations for an SGI Origin 2000 platform of Tred2, a well-known benchmark for automatic parallelising compilers.