A unified runtime system for heterogeneous multicore architectures

International audienceApproaching the theoretical performance of heterogeneous multicore architectures, equipped with specialized accelerators, is a challenging issue. Unlike regular CPUs that can transparently access the whole global memory address range, accelerators usually embed local memory on which they perform all their computations using a specific instruction set. While many research efforts have been devoted to offloading parts of a program over such coprocessors, the real challenge is to find a programming model providing a unified view of all available computing units. In this paper, we present an original runtime system providing a high-level, unified execution model allowing seamless execution of tasks over the underlying heterogeneous hardware. The runtime is based on a hierarchical memory management facility and on a codelet scheduler. We demonstrate the efficiency of our solution with a LU decomposition for both homogeneous (3.8 speedup on 4 cores) and heterogeneous machines (95% efficiency). We also show that a "granularity aware" scheduling can improve execution time by 35%

Vers des supports d'exécution capables d'exploiter les machines multicœurs hétérogènes

Approaching the theoretical performance of heterogeneous multicore architectures, equipped with specialized accelerators, is a challenging issue. Unlike regular CPUs that can transparently access the whole global memory address range, accelerators usually embed local memory on which they perform all their computations using a specific instruction set. While many research efforts have been devoted to offloading parts of a program over such coprocessors, the real challenge is to find a programming model providing a unified view of all available computing units. In this document, we present an original runtime system providing a high-level, unified execution model allowing seamless execution of tasks over the underlying heterogeneous hardware. The runtime is based on a hierarchical memory management facility and on a codelet scheduler. We demonstrate the efficiency of our solution with a LU decomposition for both homogeneous (3.8 speedup on 4 cores) and heterogeneous machines (95% efficiency). We also show that a "granularity aware" scheduling can improve execution time by 35%

Perception-motivated parallel algorithms for haptics

Negli ultimi anni l\u2019utilizzo di dispositivi aptici, atti cio\ue8 a riprodurre l\u2019interazione fisica con l\u2019ambiente remoto o virtuale, si sta diffondendo in vari ambiti della robotica e dell\u2019informatica, dai videogiochi alla chirurgia robotizzata eseguita in teleoperazione, dai cellulari alla riabilitazione. In questo lavoro di tesi abbiamo voluto considerare nuovi punti di vista sull\u2019argomento, allo scopo di comprendere meglio come riportare l\u2019essere umano, che \ue8 l\u2019unico fruitore del ritorno di forza, tattile e di telepresenza, al centro della ricerca sui dispositivi aptici. Allo scopo ci siamo focalizzati su due aspetti: una manipolazione del segnale di forza mutuata dalla percezione umana e l\u2019utilizzo di architetture multicore per l\u2019implementazione di algoritmi aptici e robotici. Con l\u2019aiuto di un setup sperimentale creato ad hoc e attraverso l\u2019utilizzo di un joystick con ritorno di forza a 6 gradi di libert\ue0, abbiamo progettato degli esperimenti psicofisici atti all\u2019identificazione di soglie differenziali di forze/coppie nel sistema mano-braccio. Sulla base dei risultati ottenuti abbiamo determinato una serie di funzioni di scalatura del segnale di forza, una per ogni grado di libert\ue0, che permettono di aumentare l\u2019abilit\ue0 umana nel discriminare stimoli differenti. L\u2019utilizzo di tali funzioni, ad esempio in teleoperazione, richiede la possibilit\ue0 di variare il segnale di feedback e il controllo del dispositivo sia in relazione al lavoro da svolgere, sia alle peculiari capacit\ue0 dell\u2019utilizzatore. La gestione del dispositivo deve quindi essere in grado di soddisfare due obbiettivi tendenzialmente in contrasto, e cio\ue8 il raggiungimento di alte prestazioni in termini di velocit\ue0, stabilit\ue0 e precisione, abbinato alla flessibilit\ue0 tipica del software. Una soluzione consiste nell\u2019affidare il controllo del dispositivo ai nuovi sistemi multicore che si stanno sempre pi\uf9 prepotentemente affacciando sul panorama informatico. Per far ci\uf2 una serie di algoritmi consolidati deve essere portata su sistemi paralleli. In questo lavoro abbiamo dimostrato che \ue8 possibile convertire facilmente vecchi algoritmi gi\ue0 implementati in hardware, e quindi intrinsecamente paralleli. Un punto da definire rimane per\uf2 quanto costa portare degli algoritmi solitamente descritti in VLSI e schemi in un linguaggio di programmazione ad alto livello. Focalizzando la nostra attenzione su un problema specifico, la pseudoinversione di matrici che \ue8 presente in molti algoritmi di dinamica e cinematica, abbiamo mostrato che un\u2019attenta progettazione e decomposizione del problema permette una mappatura diretta sulle unit\ue0 di calcolo disponibili. In aggiunta, l\u2019uso di parallelismo a livello di dati su macchine SIMD permette di ottenere buone prestazioni utilizzando semplici operazioni vettoriali come addizioni e shift. Dato che di solito tali istruzioni fanno parte delle implementazioni hardware la migrazione del codice risulta agevole. Abbiamo testato il nostro approccio su una Sony PlayStation 3 equipaggiata con un processore IBM Cell Broadband Engine.In the last years the use of haptic feedback has been used in several applications, from mobile phones to rehabilitation, from video games to robotic aided surgery. The haptic devices, that are the interfaces that create the stimulation and reproduce the physical interaction with virtual or remote environments, have been studied, analyzed and developed in many ways. Every innovation in the mechanics, electronics and technical design of the device it is valuable, however it is important to maintain the focus of the haptic interaction on the human being, who is the only user of force feedback. In this thesis we worked on two main topics that are relevant to this aim: a perception based force signal manipulation and the use of modern multicore architectures for the implementation of the haptic controller. With the help of a specific experimental setup and using a 6 dof haptic device we designed a psychophysical experiment aimed at identifying of the force/torque differential thresholds applied to the hand-arm system. On the basis of the results obtained we determined a set of task dependent scaling functions, one for each degree of freedom of the three-dimensional space, that can be used to enhance the human abilities in discriminating different stimuli. The perception based manipulation of the force feedback requires a fast, stable and configurable controller of the haptic interface. Thus a solution is to use new available multicore architectures for the implementation of the controller, but many consolidated algorithms have to be ported to these parallel systems. Focusing on specific problem, i.e. the matrix pseudoinversion, that is part of the robotics dynamic and kinematic computation, we showed that it is possible to migrate code that was already implemented in hardware, and in particular old algorithms that were inherently parallel and thus not competitive on sequential processors. The main question that still lies open is how much effort is required in order to write these algorithms, usually described in VLSI or schematics, in a modern programming language. We show that a careful task decomposition and design permit a mapping of the code on the available cores. In addition, the use of data parallelism on SIMD machines can give good performance when simple vector instructions such as add and shift operations are used. Since these instructions are present also in hardware implementations the migration can be easily performed. We tested our approach on a Sony PlayStation 3 game console equipped with IBM Cell Broadband Engine processor

Optimisation multi-niveau d'une application de traitement d'images sur machines parallèles

Cette thèse vise à définir une méthodologie de mise en œuvre d applications performantes sur les processeurs embarqués du futur. Ces architectures nécessitent notamment d exploiter au mieux les différents niveaux de parallélisme (grain fin, gros grain) et de gérer les communications et les accès à la mémoire. Pour étudier cette méthodologie, nous avons utilisé un processeur cible représentatif de ces architectures émergentes, le processeur CELL. Le détecteurde points d intérêt de Harris est un exemple de traitement régulier nécessitant des unités de calcul intensif. En étudiant plusieurs schémas de mise en oeuvre sur le processeur CELL, nous avons ainsi pu mettre en évidence des méthodes d optimisation des calculs en adaptant les programmes aux unités spécifiques de traitement SIMD du processeur CELL. L utilisation efficace de la mémoire nécessite par ailleurs, à la fois une bonne exploitation des transferts et un arrangement optimal des données en mémoire. Nous avons développé un outil d abstraction permettant de simplifier et d automatiser les transferts et la synchronisation, CELL MPI. Cette expertise nous a permis de développer une méthodologie permettant de simplifier la mise en oeuvre parallèle optimisée de ces algorithmes. Nous avons ainsi conçu un outil de programmation parallèle à base de squelettes algorithmiques : SKELL BE. Ce modèle de programmation propose une solution originale de génération d applications à base de métaprogrammation. Il permet, de manière automatisée, d obtenir de très bonnes performances et de permettre une utilisation efficace de l architecture, comme le montre la comparaison pour un ensemble de programmes test avec plusieurs autres outils dédiés à ce processeur.This thesis aims to define a design methodology for high performance applications on future embedded processors. These architectures require an efficient usage of their different level of parallelism (fine-grain, coarse-grain), and a good handling of the inter-processor communications and memory accesses. In order to study this methodology, we have used a target processor which represents this type of emerging architectures, the Cell BE processor.We have also chosen a low level image processing application, the Harris points of interest detector, which is representative of a typical low level image processing application that is highly parallel. We have studied several parallelisation schemes of this application and we could establish different optimisation techniques by adapting the software to the specific SIMD units of the Cell processor. We have also developped a library named CELL MPI that allows efficient communication and synchronisation over the processing elements, using a simplified and implicit programming interface. This work allowed us to develop a methodology that simplifies the design of a parallel algorithm on the Cell processor.We have designed a parallel programming tool named SKELL BE which is based on algorithmic skeletons. This programming model providesan original solution of a meta-programming based code generator. Using SKELL BE, we can obtain very high performances applications that uses the Cell architecture efficiently when compared to other tools that exist on the market.PARIS11-SCD-Bib. électronique (914719901) / SudocSudocFranceF