Survey of Parallel Computation

Programming (continued)

•The CTA replaces the PRAM as a realistic, but still abstract model of parallel computation

–CTA models all existing hardware, but is “far enough away” to be independent of all

–CTA is concerned with a few features, processors, non-local memory reference time, l, interconnect, which has unspecified topology, low degree

–Practicing programmers writing message passing code are in effect using the CTA

–CTA is key to expressing costs of HLL like vN

A machine model separates SW & HW development