erck03@castle.ed.ac.uk (J Wexler) (01/09/91)
PARALLEL SYSTEMS - Getting the Benefits a new course by Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, University of Edinburgh 18 - 22 February 1991 or 22-26 April 1991 This is a five-day course at Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry. It will concentrate on the potential and the exploitation of available multiprocessor systems for solving computationally intensive problems having real practical and commercial importance. The course will run from 18th to 22nd February 1991 and from 22nd to 26th April 1991. The objectives of the course are: - to develop awareness and understanding of the issues involved in parallel processing, and the technical knowledge required to address them; - to teach the use of well-designed and versatile systems which are currently available; - to show how parallel systems can provide productive solutions for real problems; - to give managers the essential background for realistic assessment and deployment of parallel systems; - to catalyse industrial participation in the SERC/DTI Parallel Applications Programme. Special attention will be paid to the CONVERSION OF EXISTING SEQUENTIAL SOFTWARE INTO PARALLEL FORMS. The course is based on C and Fortran. Specifically, it will offer training in two widely available software environments - CS Tools and Strand^88 - which embody sound principles in usable implementations. The course will be modular and will incorporate: DAY ONE - global strategic overview, surveying; - the cost and performance benefits in parallel computing; - approaches and methodologies; - commercially available parallel systems; - issues in standards and "portability"; - parallelising existing software. DAY TWO - technical overview and common introduction to CS Tools and Strand^88. DAYS THREE AND FOUR - introducing CS Tools and Strand^88 for Fortran or C programmers, with extensive hands-on practical work. DAY FIVE - individual discussion, introductory consultation, or (if desired) further hands-on experience of the systems. It is a deliberate feature of this course that it divides naturally into distinct modules. People may attend only those which suit their needs. Executives and senior managers will find Day One attractive; software managers are likely to want to continue for Day Two, and possibly to stay for the rest of the week with their technical specialists, for whom Days Two, Three and Four are designed. Day Five allows consultation at all levels on how to exploit parallel processing in clients' own companies, through one-to-one sessions with EPCC staff. The course will emphasise: - the parallelisation of sequential application code to achieve performance improvements; - parallel methods which are adaptable to different environments; - comparison and analysis of different parallel systems and methodologies; - proven approaches to parallel problem-solving. COST The cost of the course will be \pounds200 plus VAT per day, with a maximum of \pounds800 plus VAT. The final day of discussion and consultation will be free to anyone who subscribes for at least two other days. ATTENDEES This course is aimed at: - executives and senior managers with strategic planning responsibility for computing; - software managers; - technical specialists; - programmers. Attendance at Days Three and Four is limited to 24, to allow individual system access and personal attention for each person. The background required for the course will be a familiarity with the ideas of sequential computing; for Day One, a strategic view of the user's needs and expectations in computing in the short and medium term; and for the Strand^88 and CS Tools sections of the course, a competence in C or Fortran, and familiarity with Unix and one of its editors. VENUE The course will be held at Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre which has brought together a strong research activity, a successful industrial affiliation scheme, and a proven track record of national service provision on state-of-the-art parallel facilities. EPCC houses a 64-processor i860 supercomputer, a giant Transputer-based system, and a DAP, as well as other smaller-scale parallel systems. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Edith Field Training Manager UnivEd Technologies Ltd FREEPOST 16 Buccleuch Place Edinburgh EH8 0LL Tel: 031 650 3473 Fax: 031 662 4061 Telex: 727442 UNIVED G e-mail: J.Wexler@uk.ac.edinburgh ________________________________________________________________________________ REGISTRATION FORM NAME COMPANY ADDRESS TEL FAX I wish to register for the Course:- PARALLEL SYSTEMS: Getting the Benefits to be held at the University of Edinburgh: [] 18-22 February 1991. [] 22-26 April 1991 I will be attending on the following days:- Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Fees - maximum \pounds200 per day; see above for reductions. * I enclose a cheque (made payable to UnivEd Technologies Ltd) for \pounds or * Please invoice me for \pounds Signed: Date: (VAT Registration No: 415 3148 78)