Visualizing Execution Histories on Multiple Memory Consistency Models
Resumo
In order to provide a better understanding on the semantics of the memory models, many researchers have proposed formalisms to define them. Unfortunately, many of the formal definitions are so complex that it is still difficult to say what kind of execution history can be produced on a particular memory consistency model. In this paper, we propose a visualization tool that shows what operations orderings could lead to user-defined execution histories on different memory consistency models. The memory consistency model defines order relations that restrict the executions that can be produced. We also present a prototype of this visualization tool that analyses two-processor execution histories for two memory consistency models: sequential consistency and PRAM consistency.
Referências
S. V. Adve, Designing Multiple Memory Consistency Models for Shared-Memory Multiprocessors, PhD thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993.
S. V. Adve, M. Hill, B. Miller, H. Netzer, Detecting Data Races on Weak Memory Systems, In 18h Annual International Simposium on Computer Architecture, May, 1991, p.234-243,
A Balaniuk, Supporting Multiple Memory Consistency Models on a Shared Virtual Memory Parallel Programming Environment, In SBAC-PAD 97, October, 1997, pages 365-379.
T. Chilimbi, T. Ball, S. Eick, J. Larus, StormWatch: a Tool for Visualizing Memory System Protocols, Supercomputing, 1995.
A Heddaya, H. Sinha, An Overview of Mermera: a System Formalism for Non-Coherent Distributed Parallel Memory, Technical report BU-CS-92-009, Boston University, September, 1992, 21 pages.
P. Kohli, G. Neiger, M. Ahamad, A Characterization of Scalable Shared Memories. Technical Report GIT-CC-93/04, GIT, 1993.
L. Lamport, How to Make a Multiprocessor Computer that Correctly Executes Multiprocess Programs, IEEE Transactions on Computers, pages 690-691, 1979.
Lipton, R. J. and Sandberg, J. S. PRAM: A Scalable Shared Memory. Technical Report CS-TR-180-88, Princeton University, September 1988.
D. Mosberger, Memory Consistency Models, Operating Systems Review, pages 18-26, 1993.
R. Netzer, B. Miller, On the Complexity of Event Ordering for Shared-Memory Parallel Program Executions, Technical Report TR-908, University of Wisconsin-Madison, January, 1990.
