Towards the automatic optimal mapping of pipeline algorithms

The assignment of computations to processors is a crucial factor determining the effectiveness of a parallel algorithm. The portability of parallel programs has involved lot of effort during the last decade. However, the performance of a parallel code suffers, in many cases, from inherent effects of the target architectures. The optimal mapping of a parallel program is strongly dependent on the granularity and network architecture. We focus on the problem of finding the optimal mapping of pipeline algorithms on a. ring of processors. We propose an analytical model that allows an easy estimation of the parameters needed to obtain the mapping. The model can be introduced in a suitable tool to automatically produce this mapping. Both the accuracy of the model and the optimal efficiency of the algorithm found are contrasted on pipeline algorithms for the knapsack problem, for the resource allocation problem and for the path planning problem. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.