Early MIMD experience with a plasma physics simulation program on the CRAY X-MP

Technical Report · Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6245858· OSTI ID:6245858

Rhoades, Jr, C E

This paper describes some early experience with converting a plasma physics simulation program to the CRAY X-MP, a current multiple instruction, multiple data (MIMD) computer consisting of two processors with architecture similar to that of the CRAY-1. The computer program used in this study is an all Fortran version of SELF, a two species, one space, two velocity, electromagnetic, Newtonian, particle in cell, plasma simulation code. The approach to converting SELF to use both processors of the CRAY X-MP is described in some detail. The resulting multiprocessor version of SELF is nearly a factor of two faster in real time than the single processor version. The multiprocessor version obtains 58.2+-.1 seconds of central processor time in 30+-.5 seconds of real time. For comparison, the CRAY-1 execution time if 74.5 seconds. For SELF, which is mostly scalar coding, the CRAY X-MP is about 2.5 times faster overall than the CRAY-1.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6245858
• Report Number(s): UCID-20656; ON: DE86006542
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
PLASMA SIMULATION
PARALLEL PROCESSING
ARRAY PROCESSORS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CRAY COMPUTERS
FORTRAN
COMPUTERS
PROGRAMMING
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
SIMULATION
700105* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Plasma Kinetics-Theoretical- (-1987)
990200 - Mathematics & Computers