Re: [Boost-users] boost.mpi: architecture

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] boost.mpi: architecture
From: Matthias Troyer (troyer_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-11-23 14:56:47

On 22 Nov 2010, at 22:59, Hicham Mouline wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> Following a couple of threads I posted here about MPI, I wish to thank Brian
> B, Dave A, Matthias T, James S, Riccardo M for clarifications.
> I have reached the following:
> 1. I am using the openmpi MPI impl.
> 2. openmpi doesn't allow to mix windows and linux boxes to be part of the
> mpi communicator.
> 3. I have a GUI application. It is better that the GUI code/libs be not part
> of the mpi processes at all.
> 4. Therefore, I need to have the GUI run in a separate process (a 1st
> executable) and the mpi processes run a 2nd executable that will run the
> calculations. 
> 5. The GUI (on windows) would control a master mpi process which would then
> dispatch tasks to the "slaves" mpi processes. slave and master run the same
> executable (all on linux). This is cleaner.
> 
> This GUI application will need to send, to the master mpi process, the
> static data that is loaded once and that the calculations will run on.
> The GUI will probably need to launch the mpi runtime (ie.  some rsh of
> 'mpirun -np x -host .... <calculator image>') and then after that connect to
> the mpi master. I will need some custom code for this. Here it seems to me I
> will have some duplication.
> 
> The data types the GUI will send to the master are the same types the mpi
> master will send to the slaves.
> I will need serialization also, and I guess some library to send messages
> over the network (from gui to master mpi) boost::asio?
> The objective is to keep the mpi processes clean of the gui code.
> 
> Is there a simpler way?
> 
> I've asked the same question on the OMPI forum as well:
> http://www.open-mpi.org/community/lists/users/2010/11/14866.php
> 
> I appreciate any advice you can give,
> 
> regards,

Hi, you can pack it into a text archive using Boost.Serialization and send that text archive via files (or maybe Boost.Asio - but I'm not an expert there) from the GUI to the MPI master.

Matthias