1. Parallel & Distributed Computing Fall 2004 Comments About Final

2. Course Grading Comments Approximate Weights for Course Grade –Homework 40% –Midterm Exam 30% –Final Exam 30% Final will be given as specified in the Fall’04 Schedule of Classes –Exam is from 10:15-12:30 on Friday Dec., 17 –Time is also posted on course website.

3. Information to Study for Final Class slides covering test material are very important Assigned textbook reading of material to be tested –Provides additional information for many topics –Includes information about some topics not on slides –Remember slides also contain information not in text Handouts (e.g., research papers) provide more information about topics covered on slides –Provides in-depth information for some slide topics –Unless instructed otherwise, topics in handouts that are not mentioned on slides are optional reading Homework assignments often used to create some related questions on test.

4. Primary Topics Covered for Final SIMD/MASC/ASC Models Study Guide –Slides from this set, but ignore 44-51 –Handouts provide additional information about topics covered on slides –Homework assignments Timings Study Guide –This is a continuation of MASC/ASC material –Slides, but focus on a general understanding –Will not test more technical aspects, such as reproduction of circuits

5. Primary Topics for Final (Cont 2/4) ASC and MultiC Study Guide –Slides presentations –Homework assigned –Ability to interpret coded segments correctly Fortran90 plus HPF Study Guide –General explanation or discussion questions are most likely way to test –No coding segments for interpretation will be included.

6. Primary Topics for Final (Cont 3/4) MIMD Architecture –Presentation Slides –Chapter 2 in Quinn (Sections 2.4 and 2.5) –Homework assigned OpenMP –Presentation Slides for Ch. 17 and Ch18 –Chapter 17 and 18 in Quinn –Homework assignments –Understand Coded segments –Ability to use appropriate shared memory statements.

7. Primary Topics for Final (Cont 4/4) Importance of SIMD –Presentation Slides 1-33 –Ability to discuss issues covered

8. Classic Parallel Computing Topics Covered Before Midterm for Final Flynn’s Taxonomy Classification See Midterm Summary Slides Data Parallel vs Control Parallel –See Midterm Summary Slides Linear Speedup –Why is linear speedup usually optimal –Why is superlinear speedup sometimes possible Speedup, cost, efficiency Amdahl’s Law –Statement and explanation of Law –Why not the disaster orginally thought for parallelism –See midterm summary slides