Comments on: Why OpenMP is the way to go for parallel programming http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/ A Blog on Parallel Programming and Concurrency by Michael Suess Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:26:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Cobo http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-11 Cobo Tue, 15 Aug 2006 05:45:35 +0000 http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-11 Thanks for all the doc and links. I have already been looking around Compunity, and it looks quite good. As I was reading your comment another programmer was recommending me the same book on parallel computing, so it seems I'll have to read it :). I'll start any time soon with OpenMP, maybe October after my September exams, and a little rest... Thanksa lot for all the interest and help! Thanks for all the doc and links.

I have already been looking around Compunity, and it looks quite good.
As I was reading your comment another programmer was recommending me the same book on parallel computing, so it seems I’ll have to read it :).

I’ll start any time soon with OpenMP, maybe October after my September exams, and a little rest…

Thanksa lot for all the interest and help!

]]> By: Michael Suess http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-10 Michael Suess Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:37:56 +0000 http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-10 Glad you liked the article. For resources on OpenMP, the best place to check would be <a href="http://www.compunity.org" rel="nofollow">the Compunity</a>. Look under <a href="http://www.compunity.org/resources/compilers/index.php" rel="nofollow">Resources</a> for a list of compilers and tools. Under <a href="http://www.compunity.org/training/tutorials/index.php" rel="nofollow">Training</a> you will find a list of tutorials which are good starting points. There is a book on OpenMP called "Parallel Programming in OpenMP", but I usually do not recommend it because it is outdated and OpenMP is not that difficult as to warrant a whole book on it (just my opinion). If you really like to have a book, I would recommend bying one on the more general subject of parallel programming, e.g. "Introduction to Parallel Computing" by Grama et. al. It has a section on OpenMP in it, as well as sections on Threads, MPI and many useful parallel algorithms. I bet there are good books on parallel programming in Spanish as well, if you prefer that and I bet some of them have sections on OpenMP in them as well. OpenMP-support has not much todo with the architecture, but rather with the compiler and its runtime library. If the compiler supports OpenMP on a specific architecture, it will map the parallelism described by the OpenMP-directives to the native thread library provided by the operating system (e.g. POSIX threads or win32 threads). So if you have a compiler for a specific architecture that supports OpenMP, you are set to compile and run OpenMP programs there. For a list of compilers supporting OpenMP see the <a href="http://www.compunity.org/resources/compilers/index.php" rel="nofollow">Compunity page of compilers</a>. As soon as GCC 4.2 with OpenMP-support is released, I do not know of any major architecture that OpenMP does not support (since GCC basically runs everywhere :-) ). Hope that helps! Glad you liked the article.

For resources on OpenMP, the best place to check would be the Compunity. Look under Resources for a list of compilers and tools. Under Training you will find a list of tutorials which are good starting points.

There is a book on OpenMP called “Parallel Programming in OpenMP”, but I usually do not recommend it because it is outdated and OpenMP is not that difficult as to warrant a whole book on it (just my opinion). If you really like to have a book, I would recommend bying one on the more general subject of parallel programming, e.g. “Introduction to Parallel Computing” by Grama et. al. It has a section on OpenMP in it, as well as sections on Threads, MPI and many useful parallel algorithms. I bet there are good books on parallel programming in Spanish as well, if you prefer that and I bet some of them have sections on OpenMP in them as well.

OpenMP-support has not much todo with the architecture, but rather with the compiler and its runtime library. If the compiler supports OpenMP on a specific architecture, it will map the parallelism described by the OpenMP-directives to the native thread library provided by the operating system (e.g. POSIX threads or win32 threads). So if you have a compiler for a specific architecture that supports OpenMP, you are set to compile and run OpenMP programs there. For a list of compilers supporting OpenMP see the Compunity page of compilers.

As soon as GCC 4.2 with OpenMP-support is released, I do not know of any major architecture that OpenMP does not support (since GCC basically runs everywhere :-) ).

Hope that helps!

]]> By: Cobo http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-9 Cobo Mon, 14 Aug 2006 10:45:12 +0000 http://www.thinkingparallel.com/2006/08/12/why-openmp-is-the-way-to-go-for-parallel-programming/#comment-9 Great article. Now I guess why you're so interested in OpenMP instead of PThreads or any other systems. I have very little background with PThreads, but if OpenMP gives that level of abstraction and is close to the efficiency PThreads can give... I should try it out. Could you recommend any good book/documentation related to OpenMP (theory and programming, better with C)? Also I'm having problems to find if there's any architecture OpenMP doesn't support (x86, x86-64, PowerPC, Alpha...). Anything useful? Willing to read more and more of this stuff. Thanks! Great article. Now I guess why you’re so interested in OpenMP instead of PThreads or any other systems. I have very little background with PThreads, but if OpenMP gives that level of abstraction and is close to the efficiency PThreads can give… I should try it out.
Could you recommend any good book/documentation related to OpenMP (theory and programming, better with C)?
Also I’m having problems to find if there’s any architecture OpenMP doesn’t support (x86, x86-64, PowerPC, Alpha…). Anything useful?

Willing to read more and more of this stuff.

Thanks!

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