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NestStep: Nested Parallelism and Virtual Shared Memory for the BSP Model

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Abstract

NestStep is a parallel programming language for the BSP (bulk–synchronous–parallel) model of parallel computation.

Extending the classical BSP model, NestStep supports dynamically nested parallelism by nesting of supersteps and a hierarchical processor group concept. Furthermore, NestStep adds a virtual shared memory realization in software, where memory consistency is relaxed to superstep boundaries. Distribution of shared arrays is also supported.

A prototype for a subset of NestStep has been implemented based on Java as sequential basis language. The prototype implementation is targeted to a set of Java Virtual Machines coupled by Java socket communication to a virtual parallel computer.

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Keßler, C.W. NestStep: Nested Parallelism and Virtual Shared Memory for the BSP Model. The Journal of Supercomputing 17, 245–262 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026511306490

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026511306490

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