High performance computing on low cost computers:a review of parallel and distributed computing methodologies for finite element analysis

The paper considers three main software technologies for implementing parallelism: MPI, .NET and Java. Attention is given to the role of object and component oriented program design methods. Consideration is given to the mathematical methods used, with special emphasis on the use of domain decomposition methods. The interplay between software engineering, mathematical methods used, and user interaction is examined. There is a particular focus on the role of object and component oriented programming methods, and how they facilitate the use of domain decomposition methods and integrating these with machine architectures and implementation of user-interaction features. Some work on the forthcoming Task Parallel Library (TPL) for .NET is presented.Speed comparisons are presented for C++ and MPI, .NET and Java. Overall C++ with MPI is faster than .NET or Java, but the difference is not that great to rule out the use of .NET or Java.