Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: igor@sedal.su.oz.au (Igor Milosavlevich)
Subject: Automatic alignment in array language programs
Keywords: parallelizing compilers, array alignment, array languages
Organization: SEDAL, Sydney University
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 06:28:09 GMT
Message-ID: <47s71p$neq@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU>

This is a query about automatic translation of `very high-level' array
languages such as MATLAB or APL, into parallel code for distributed
memory computers.  Specifically, I'm interested in automatic array
distribution and alignment in this context.

I have read some papers on automatic array alignment and distribution
for conventional languages such as Fortran (e.g., SUIF project at
Stanford).  These approaches are based on analysis of index references
in loops, whereas in array languages the problem should be much
simpler, and the heuristics should have more chance of finding the
optimal solution (at the expense of using a somewhat less expressive
language).

Regarding parallelisation of array languages, I'm familiar with the
work of Ju et al. (IEEE TPDS, 1994) about APL on shared memory
systems, and the Excalibur system, an interactive MATLAB restructurer
developed at RIACS.  However, none of these seem to address the array
alignment for distributed memory machines.

I would be grateful if you could give me any additional references on
work done in this direction.

Much regards
Igor Milosavlevich  <igor@sedal.usyd.edu.au>           Tel: (02) 351 3297
URL http://www.sedal.usyd.edu.au/~igor/                Fax: (02) 660 1228
Dept of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia


