Newsgroups: comp.parallel.pvm
From: stasko@cc.gatech.edu (John Stasko)
Subject: New online visualization system for PVM
Organization: College of Computing, Georgia Tech
Date: 13 Nov 1995 20:04:12 -0500
Message-ID: <488puc$klq@medinah.cc.gatech.edu>


We've just made the PVaniM 2.0 system available via anonymous ftp.
PVaniM 2.0 provides online visualization support for long running,
communication-intensive PVM applications, while keeping both code
modifications and system perturbation to a minimum.  We think you'll
find the system easy to install and use, and quite helpful for your
PVM application development.  The following are the major features of
PVaniM 2.0:

* Online graphical views which provide insight into message communication
  patterns, the amount of messages and bytes sent, host utilization,
  memory utilization, and host load information.

* The system uses sampling to gather data regarding the interesting aspects
  of the application as well as interesting aspects of the cluster 
  environment.  The rate at which application data is sent to the monitor
  is a parameter that may be set by the user.  The user may wish to have
  statistics sent to the monitor every 5 seconds, every 10 seconds, 
  once a minute, etc.  With lower sampling rates, the application will
  experience less perturbation, but the graphical views will not be 
  updated as frequently.  Users are encouraged to try different sampling
  rates to find one that is most suitable for their personal tastes.
 
* PVaniM 2.0 provides routines similar to scanf() and printf() that allow
  for rudimentary input/output with the executing application.  These
  routines come from/go to a special region in our interface and they
  provide support for prompting for application parameters,
  simple debugging, printing out partial results, etc.  These 
  routines still function expectedly (default to simple scanf and
  printf) even when our online monitor is not utilized.

* You need only add 2 new lines to your PVM application to utilize our
  visualizations.  Once an initial recompilation is done, the
  application will run correctly both with and without our online
  monitor; the use of the monitor to spawn the application determines
  whether or not visualization is utilized.  (If it isn't, no overhead
  occurs.)  No compile time directives are needed.

* PVaniM 2.0 provides support for C, C++, and FORTRAN PVM applications.

* For offline visualization analysis, PVaniM 2.0 utilizes buffered
  tracing to provide support fine-grain postmortem visualization systems.
  Currently, PVaniM 2.0 produces buffered traces for the original
  prototype PVaniM visualization system, and a trace file converter is
  also provided to allow the user to also use the popular ParaGraph system.

To use PVaniM 2.0 and its graphical views, you must have a C++
compiler and a machine running the X Window System with the Motif
widget set.  We have successfully installed the system on a number of
different vendors' workstations.

Full source, examples, and documentation for PVaniM 2.0 is available via
anonymous ftp from the machine ftp.cc.gatech.edu under the directory
pub/people/stasko.  You must retrieve the following file:

   pvanimOL.tar.Z --  online visualization system
  

PVaniM 2.0 produces buffered trace files for use with the original
PVaniM postmortem visualization system.  This library is available as 

 pvanimviz.tar.Z -- postmortem visualization library


If you would like to know more about the system and even see some of
the views, check out the WWW page
  http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/softviz/parviz/pvanimOL/pvanimOL.html
This page also has links to the ftp server.

If you have any comments, questions, or problems using the package,
please send email to the address below and we'll be glad to help out. 

   pvanim@cc.gatech.edu

Regards,

Brad Topol------Georgia Tech
John Stasko-----Georgia Tech
Vaidy Sunderam--Emory University

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
John Stasko, Associate Professor              
Graphics, Viz., and Usability Center            phone: (404) 853-9386
College of Computing                            fax:   (404) 853-0673
Georgia Institute of Technology                  stasko@cc.gatech.edu
Atlanta, Georgia  30332-0280                  
       http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/Faculty/John.T.Stasko.html



