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Migrating parallel applications to the cloud: assessing cloud readiness based on parallel design decisions

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SICS Software-Intensive Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract

Parallel applications are the computational backbone of major industry trends and grand challenges in science. Whereas these applications are typically constructed for dedicated High Performance Computing clusters and supercomputers, the cloud emerges as attractive execution environment, which provides on-demand resource provisioning and a pay-per-use model. However, cloud environments require specific application properties that may restrict parallel application design. As a result, design trade-offs are required to simultaneously maximize parallel performance and benefit from cloud-specific characteristics. In this paper, we present a novel approach to assess the cloud readiness of parallel applications based on the design decisions made. By discovering and understanding the implications of these parallel design decisions on an application’s cloud readiness, our approach supports the migration of parallel applications to the cloud. We introduce an assessment procedure, its underlying meta model, and a corresponding instantiation to structure this multi-dimensional design space. For evaluation purposes, we present an extensive case study comprising three parallel applications and discuss their cloud readiness based on our approach.

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Notes

  1. https://aws.amazon.com.

  2. https://azure.microsoft.com.

  3. In MPI jargon, a process is a processing unit that can be distributed across a set of compute nodes.

  4. https://patterns.eecs.berkeley.edu.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially funded by the Ministry of Science of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, for the Doctoral Program Services Computing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parallel and Distributed Computing Group, Reutlingen University, Alteburgstr. 150, 72762, Reutlingen, Germany

    Stefan Kehrer & Wolfgang Blochinger

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  1. Stefan Kehrer
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Correspondence to Stefan Kehrer.

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Kehrer, S., Blochinger, W. Migrating parallel applications to the cloud: assessing cloud readiness based on parallel design decisions . SICS Softw.-Inensiv. Cyber-Phys. Syst. 34, 73–84 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00450-019-00396-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00450-019-00396-8

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