D8.3: Re-integration into Community Codes
C. Gheller · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2013
This document collects and presents the results produced by Work Package 8 ‘Community Code Scaling’ in PRACE-2IP (WP8) at the end of its two-year programme. The main focus of WP8 was the re-design and refactoring of a number of selected codes for scientific numerical applications, in order to effectively run on coming generations of supercomputing architectures, optimally exploiting their innovative features. This was achieved thanks to the working methodology developed, which was based on a close synergy between scientists, community software developers and HPC experts, each bringing their unique competences and skills. A further major outcome of this methodology was the promotion of a “culture” in high performance computing awareness among community software developers, consolidating their knowledge base to face the challenges posed by innovative computing systems, and enabling them to autonomously adopt and exploit the most appropriate software and hardware solutions. WP8, together with scientists and community software developers from Astrophysics, Climate, Material Science, Particle Physics and Engineering, re-designed and re-factored eighteen codes. The accomplished work is presented together with the status of the code validation and re-integration process. Code validation was performed by community software developers and was based on a regression analysis needed to prove that the refactored algorithms are bug-free and give correct results. Such process was essentially incorporated in the WP8 refactoring methodology through the close day-by-day interaction among developers and HPC experts. Re-introducing the refactored codes back into the scientific community ensured that users are aware of the newly developed software features and that they are ready to adopt them as soon as they are available, maximising the impact of WP8. This was accomplished by means of personal contacts, participation and presentation of the WP8 achievements at conferences and workshops, and by publishing scientific and technical papers in specialised journals. Furthermore, WP8 implemented a specific programme to progressively consolidate the engagement of the scientific community, based on periodic face-to-face workshops. Finally, on-going and accomplished work, rewritten codes and libraries were documented and published on a dedicated wiki web site.