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A Compiler Approach to Scalable Concurrent-Program Design

Foster, Ian and Taylor, Stephen (1994) A Compiler Approach to Scalable Concurrent-Program Design. ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS), 16 (3). pp. 577-604. ISSN 0164-0925. doi:10.1145/177492.177612. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20161020-135051459

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Abstract

We describe a compilation system for the concurrent programming language Program Composition Notation (PCN). This notation provides a single-assignment programming model that permits concurrent-programming concerns such as decomposition, communication, synchronization, mapping, granularity, and load balancing to be addressed separately in a design. PCN is also extensible with programmer-defined operators, allowing common abstractions to be encapsulated and reused in different contexts. The compilation system incorporates a concurrent-transformation system that allows abstractions to be defined through concurrent source-to-source transformations; these convert programmer-defined operators into a core notation. Run-time techniques allow the core notation to be compiled into a simple concurrent abstract machine which can be implemented in a portable fashion using a run-time library. The abstract machine provides a uniform treatment of single-assignment and mutable data structures, allowing data sharing between concurrent and sequential program segments and permitting integration of sequential C and Fortran code into concurrent programs. This compilation system forms part of a program development toolkit that operates on a wide variety of networked workstations, multicomputers, and shared-memory multiprocessors. The toolkit has been used both to develop substantial applications and to teach introductory concurrent-programming classes, including a freshman course at Caltech.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/177492.177612DOIArticle
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=177492.177612PublisherArticle
Additional Information:© 1994 ACM. Received May 1992; revised May 1993; accepted August 1993. This research is sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA Order 8176, monitored by the Office of Naval Research under contract N00014-91-J-1986, and by the National Science Foundation under contracts NSF CCR-8809615 and ASC-9157650.
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)8176
Office of Naval Research (ONR)N00014-91-J-1986
NSFCCR-8809615
NSFASC-9157650
Subject Keywords:Design, Languages, Monotonicity, program composition, programming abstractions, source-to-source transformations
Issue or Number:3
Classification Code:Categories and Subject Descriptors: D. 1.3 [Programming Techniques]: Concurrent Program- ming; D.2. 10 [Software Engineering]: Design—methodologies; D.3.4 [Programming Lan- guages]: Processors—compilers; run-time environments
DOI:10.1145/177492.177612
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20161020-135051459
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20161020-135051459
Official Citation:Ian Foster and Stephen Taylor. 1994. A compiler approach to scalable concurrent-program design. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 16, 3 (May 1994), 577-604. DOI=http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/177492.177612
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:71324
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By:INVALID USER
Deposited On:20 Oct 2016 22:02
Last Modified:11 Nov 2021 04:43

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