Optimizing parallel simulation of multicore systems using domain-specific knowledge

Abstract

This paper presents two optimization techniques for the basic Null-message algorithm in the context of parallel simulation of multicore computer architectures. Unlike the general, application-independent optimization methods, these are application-specific optimizations that make use of system properties of the simulation application. We demonstrate in two aspects that the domain-specific knowledge offers great potential for optimization. First, it allows us to send Null-messages much less eagerly, thus greatly reducing the amount of Null-messages. Second, the internal state of the simulation application allows us to make conservative forecast of future outgoing events. This leads to the creation of an enhanced synchronization algorithm called Forecast Null-message algorithm, which, by combining the forecast from both sides of a link, can greatly improve the simulation look-ahead. Compared with the basic Null-message algorithm, our optimizations greatly reduce the number of Null-messages and increase simulation performance significantly as a result. On a subset of the PARSEC benchmarks, a maximum speedup of about 6 is achieved with 17 LPs.