Assignment of ADT modules to processors

Abstract

The utilization of reusable software components can help to reduce the complexity of developing and maintaining parallel programs, but can lead to inefficiencies. The potential inefficiencies are addressed by providing a model of parallel execution (asynchronous remote procedure call, or ARPC) that not only speeds up programs, but also encourages the development of layered software by increasing parallelism in correspondence to increases in layering. The paper presents an efficient algorithm for assigning the reusable modules of a program to the processing elements of a parallel computer that supports ARPC. The objectives of the assignment algorithm are to permit maximum inter-module parallelism with the fewest possible PEs, and to prevent deadlock. The algorithm differs from previous solutions to the assignment problem in that the modules to be assigned are generic abstract data type modules, not procedures, tasks, or processes.<>