Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: chukran@chukran.austin.ibm.com (Rudy Chukran)
Subject: What is a barrier?
Organization: IBM Software Developer Operations
Date: 11 Sep 1995 15:30:58 GMT
Message-ID: <431kni$2jn@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>

Can someone give me a synopsis of what a barrier is and how
it helps parallel computation. If that is too hard to do in
a paragraph, can you suggest some literature to read?

I am not a numerical analyst, but I am trying to read
some C code that implements barriers using threads.
I am a AIX OS expert who understands OS calls, but I don't
understand numerical techniques.
I need to port the code to AIX/6000, and I have
the fundamental disadvantage of not understanding  the problem,
therefore I don't understand the solution (barriers , namely).

Are barriers implemented as either language constructs or
OS calls on UNIX or other platforms? AIX certainly doesn't have
them. I am curious to what degree this barrier concept has been implemented
elsewhere.

-- 
Rudy Chukran                          | IBM RSCS: CHUKRAN at AUSTIN     
IBM Solution Developer Operations     | internet: chukran@austin.ibm.com
Mail stop 4103,11400 Burnet Rd.       | 
Austin, Texas 78758                   |

