Abstract: Hardware faults location in a data communications network of a parallel computer. Such a parallel computer includes a plurality of compute nodes and a data communications network that couples the compute nodes for data communications and organizes the compute node as a tree. Locating hardware faults includes identifying a next compute node as a parent node and a root of a parent test tree, identifying for each child compute node of the parent node a child test tree having the child compute node as root, running a same test suite on the parent test tree and each child test tree, and identifying the parent compute node as having a defective link connected from the parent compute node to a child compute node if the test suite fails on the parent test tree and succeeds on all the child test trees.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and article of manufacture for parallel application load balancing and distributed work management. In one embodiment, a hierarchy of master nodes may be used to coordinate the actions of pools of worker nodes. Further, the activity of the master nodes may be controlled by a “coordinator” node. A coordinator node may be configured to distribute work unit descriptions to the collection of master nodes. If needed, embodiments of the invention may be scaled to deeper hierarchies.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for pacing network traffic among a plurality of compute nodes connected using a data communications network. The network has a plurality of network regions, and the plurality of compute nodes are distributed among these network regions. Pacing network traffic among a plurality of compute nodes connected using a data communications network includes: identifying, by a compute node for each region of the network, a roundtrip time delay for communicating with at least one of the compute nodes in that region; determining, by the compute node for each region, a pacing algorithm for that region in dependence upon the roundtrip time delay for that region; and transmitting, by the compute node, network packets to at least one of the compute nodes in at least one of the network regions in dependence upon the pacing algorithm for that region.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for profiling an application for power consumption during execution on a compute node that include: receiving an application for execution on a compute node; identifying a hardware power consumption profile for the compute node, the hardware power consumption profile specifying power consumption for compute node hardware during performance of various processing operations; determining a power consumption profile for the application in dependence upon the application and the hardware power consumption profile for the compute node; and reporting the power consumption profile for the application.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, products are disclosed for providing policy-based operating system services in an operating system on a computing system. The computing system includes at least one compute node. The compute node includes an operating system. The operating system includes a kernel and a plurality of operating system services of a service type. Providing policy-based operating system services in an operating system on a computing system includes establishing, on the compute node, a kernel policy specifying one of the operating system services of the service type for use by the kernel in the operating system, establishing a performance ruleset, the performance ruleset specifying rules for analyzing the performance of the computing system, measuring performance of the computing system, and adjusting the kernel policy in dependence upon the performance ruleset and the measured performance.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for thread selection during context switching on a plurality of compute nodes that includes: executing, by a compute node, an application using a plurality of threads of execution, including executing one or more of the threads of execution; selecting, by the compute node from a plurality of available threads of execution for the application, a next thread of execution in dependence upon power characteristics for each of the available threads; determining, by the compute node, whether criteria for a thread context switch are satisfied; and performing, by the compute node, the thread context switch if the criteria for a thread context switch are satisfied, including executing the next thread of execution.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for scheduling applications for execution on a plurality of compute nodes of a parallel computer to manage temperature of the plurality of compute nodes during execution that include: identifying one or more applications for execution on the plurality of compute nodes; creating a plurality of physically discontiguous node partitions in dependence upon temperature characteristics for the compute nodes and a physical topology for the compute nodes, each discontiguous node partition specifying a collection of physically adjacent compute nodes; and assigning, for each application, that application to one or more of the discontiguous node partitions for execution on the compute nodes specified by the assigned discontiguous node partitions.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for budget-based power consumption for application execution on a plurality of compute nodes that include: assigning an execution priority to each of one or more applications; executing, on the plurality of compute nodes, the applications according to the execution priorities assigned to the applications at an initial power level provided to the compute nodes until a predetermined power consumption threshold is reached; and applying, upon reaching the predetermined power consumption threshold, one or more power conservation actions to reduce power consumption of the plurality of compute nodes during execution of the applications.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption during execution of an application on a plurality of compute nodes that include: executing, by each compute node, an application, the application including power consumption directives corresponding to one or more portions of the application; identifying, by each compute node, the power consumption directives included within the application during execution of the portions of the application corresponding to those identified power consumption directives; and reducing power, by each compute node, to one or more components of that compute node according to the identified power consumption directives during execution of the portions of the application corresponding to those identified power consumption directives.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while performing collective operations on a plurality of compute nodes that include: receiving, by each compute node, instructions to perform a type of collective operation; selecting, by each compute node from a plurality of collective operations for the collective operation type, a particular collective operation in dependence upon power consumption characteristics for each of the plurality of collective operations; and executing, by each compute node, the selected collective operation.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application that include: beginning, by each compute node, performance of a blocking operation specified by the parallel application, each compute node beginning the blocking operation asynchronously with respect to the other compute nodes; reducing, for each compute node, power to one or more hardware components of that compute node in response to that compute node beginning the performance of the blocking operation; and restoring, for each compute node, the power to the hardware components having power reduced in response to all of the compute nodes beginning the performance of the blocking operation.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption during execution of an application on a plurality of compute nodes that include: powering up, during compute node initialization, only a portion of computer memory of the compute node, including configuring an operating system for the compute node in the powered up portion of computer memory; receiving, by the operating system, an instruction to load an application for execution; allocating, by the operating system, additional portions of computer memory to the application for use during execution; powering up the additional portions of computer memory allocated for use by the application during execution; and loading, by the operating system, the application into the powered up additional portions of computer memory.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for profiling power consumption of a plurality of compute nodes while processing an application that include: executing the application on the plurality of compute nodes; monitoring performance characteristics for components of the plurality of compute nodes during execution of the application; and recording, in a power profile for the application, power consumption during execution of the application in dependence upon the performance characteristics for components of the plurality of compute nodes.

Abstract: Executing a scatter operation on a parallel computer includes: configuring a send buffer on a logical root, the send buffer having positions, each position corresponding to a ranked node in an operational group of compute nodes and for storing contents scattered to that ranked node; and repeatedly for each position in the send buffer: broadcasting, by the logical root to each of the other compute nodes on a global combining network, the contents of the current position of the send buffer using a bitwise OR operation, determining, by each compute node, whether the current position in the send buffer corresponds with the rank of that compute node, if the current position corresponds with the rank, receiving the contents and storing the contents in a reception buffer of that compute node, and if the current position does not correspond with the rank, discarding the contents.

Abstract: An apparatus and program product logically divide a group of nodes and causes node pairs comprising a node from each section to communicate. Results from the communications may be analyzed to determine performance characteristics, such as bandwidth and proper connectivity.

Abstract: A method determines a nodal fault along the boundary, or face, of a computing cell. Nodes on adjacent cell boundaries communicate with each other, and the communications are analyzed to determine if a node or connection is faulty.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method checks for nodal faults in a group of nodes comprising a center node and all adjacent nodes. The center node concurrently communicates with the immediately adjacent nodes in three dimensions. The communications are analyzed to determine a presence of a faulty node or connection.

Abstract: An apparatus and program product determine a nodal fault along the boundary, or face, of a computing cell. Nodes on adjacent cell boundaries communicate with each other, and the communications are analyzed to determine if a node or connection is faulty.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for configuring compute nodes of a parallel computer in an operational group into a plurality of independent non-overlapping collective networks, the compute nodes in the operational group connected together for data communications through a global combining network, that include: partitioning the compute nodes in the operational group into a plurality of non-overlapping subgroups; designating one compute node from each of the non-overlapping subgroups as a master node; and assigning, to the compute nodes in each of the non-overlapping subgroups, class routing instructions that organize the compute nodes in that non-overlapping subgroup as a collective network such that the master node is a physical root.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for providing full point-to-point communications among compute nodes of an operational group in a global combining network of a parallel computer, each compute node connected to each adjacent compute node in the global combining network through a link, that include: receiving a network packet in a compute node, the network packet specifying a destination compute node; selecting, in dependence upon the destination compute node, at least one of the links for the compute node along which to forward the network packet toward the destination compute node; and forwarding the network packet along the selected link to the adjacent compute node connected to the compute node through the selected link.