Procedure call models for distributed parameters in data parallel programs

When a computer program invokes a procedure, both the caller and the callee must agree on how to pass the parameters into and out of the procedure. In this paper, this agreement is referred to as the procedure call model. In data parallel languages like High Performance Fortran (HPF), the procedure call model for distributed parameters can have an impact on procedure call overhead. This paper introduces a taxonomy of procedure call models, and examines how different models can reduce the procedure call overhead by avoiding unnecessary redistribution and by providing compile-time distribution information. A key result is that the procedure call model bounds the availability of compile-time information on the distribution of parameters, and this information can have an impact on the quality of the redistribution code.<
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