A Formal Model For Real-Time Parallel Computation

The imposition of real-time constraints on a parallel computing environment– specifically high-performance, cluster-computing systems– introduces a variety of challenges with respect to the formal verification of the system's timing properties. In this paper, we briefly motivate the need for su...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Peter Hui, Satish Chikkagoudar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Open Publishing Association 2012-12-01
Series:Electronic Proceedings in Theoretical Computer Science
Online Access:http://arxiv.org/pdf/1301.0040v1
Description
Summary:The imposition of real-time constraints on a parallel computing environment– specifically high-performance, cluster-computing systems– introduces a variety of challenges with respect to the formal verification of the system's timing properties. In this paper, we briefly motivate the need for such a system, and we introduce an automaton-based method for performing such formal verification. We define the concept of a consistent parallel timing system: a hybrid system consisting of a set of timed automata (specifically, timed Buchi automata as well as a timed variant of standard finite automata), intended to model the timing properties of a well-behaved real-time parallel system. Finally, we give a brief case study to demonstrate the concepts in the paper: a parallel matrix multiplication kernel which operates within provable upper time bounds. We give the algorithm used, a corresponding consistent parallel timing system, and empirical results showing that the system operates under the specified timing constraints.
ISSN:2075-2180