A Two-Dimensional Finite Difference Algorithm on the KSR1.
Abstract
Executing electromagnetic pulse (EMP) codes on the fastest possible computers has been a goal of research in recent years, because it would allow new classes of EMP problems to be solved. A new kind of supercomputer architecture has emerged in recent years, called a massively parallel processor (mpp). This study examines the performance of a two-dimensional finite difference algorithm, a Yee algorithm, which is a major part of some EMP codes, on an mpp computer, the KSR1. Performance of the Yee algorithm, using a mesh of 2000 x 2000, scales roughly in proportion to the number of processors, up to about 32. The maximum performance of the Yee algorithm on the KSR1 was 161 Mflops using 50 processors, or 5.8 times faster than on a 50-MHz IBM RS/6000 workstation. For a 2000 x 2000 matrix multiply test, representative of an important algorithm in moment methods for solving electromagnetic problems, the peak performance on the KSR1 was 279 Mflops with 32 processors. This matrix multiply ran about three times faster than on the IBM workstation. It was concluded that the modest gains found here were insufficient to warrant a full port of a large EMP code to the KSR1. (AN)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA293576
Entities
People
- Christopher S. Kenyon
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory