Interoperability of Data Parallel Runtime Libraries with Meta-Chaos

This paper describes a framework for providing the ability to use multiple specialized data parallel libraries and/or languages within a single application. The ability to use multiple libraries is required in many application areas, such as multidisciplinary complex physical simulations and remote sensing image database applications. An application can consist of one program or multiple programs that use different libraries to parallelize operations on distributed data structures. The framework is embodied in a runtime library called Meta-Chaos that has been used to exchange data between data parallel programs written using High Performance Fortran, the Chaos and Multiblock Parti libraries developed at Maryland for handling various types of unstructured problems, and the runtime library for pC++, a data parallel version of C++ from Indiana University. Experimental results show that Meta-Chaos is able to move data between libraries efficiently, and that Meta-Chaos provides effective support for complex applications. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-96-30