Compilation

 
The downloaded archive file contains libraries and header files for you to build applications with HP-PVM or the process farm library.
 

Microsoft Windows

Simple makefiles are included, in Watcom and Microsoft formats. The windows makefile will compile these programs:

pvmtest.exe - the HP-PVM test program

simple.exe - the process farm times table program
pmbrot.exe - the parallel mandlebrot program
 

Use  wmake -f watcom.mak   for the Watcom compiler
Use  nmake /f micrsoft.mak   for the Microsoft compiler

The Watcom makefile assumes the environmental variable WATCOM points to the path of the compiler. The Microsoft makefile requires you to edit the DIR variable in the makefile to give the path of the compiler.

These simple makefiles do not include the icon resources that the supplied executables have linked in. You might like to set up another directory for compiling the programs. Move all of the *.lib, *.dll, *.mak, *.h, *.c, *.f90 and *.a (for Unix) files into it. You should conserve the original supplied test executables - the makefiles will overwrite them if run in the same directory.

Once you have successfully compiled and tested the example programs, you are ready to produce you own.
 

HP-PVM

 
HP-PVM programs compiled using the Watcom compiler can use the HP-PVM static library. Programs using other compilers must use the DLL. You can use this by simply linking your programs with the import libraries. These are supplied in Watcom and Microsoft compiler formats.

Use the pvm.h header file in any modules that calls HP-PVM functions.
 

pvmlib_w.lib                       Watcom format HP-PVM static library

pvmdll.dll                            HP-PVM dynamic library
pvmdll_w.lib                       Watcom format import library for pvmdll.dll
pvmdll_m.lib                       Microsoft format import library for pvmdll.dll

pvm.h                                C library header file. Use with static or dynamic
                                         version of the library.
 

The pvmtest program is in pvmtest.c.

To compile a Watcom version, link with pvmlib_w.lib and df_win_w.lib. The program uses the pvm.h and df_win.h header files. df_win is a simple default window display, similar to the Windows NT console window. Pvmtest is the only example program that uses this.
 
 

pvmtest.c                          Pvmtest source. This is a HP-PVM test program

pvmtest.exe                       Pvmtest executable. This is a Watcom format
                                        compilation of the pvmtest program

df_win.h                           Simple text display window used by pvmtest.c
df_win_w.lib                     Watcom version
df_win_m.lib                     Microsoft version
 

To compile a Microsoft version, link with the pvmdll_m.lib and df_win_m.lib libraries.
 

Most of the HP-PVM commands have a fortran interface, supplied as a static library in Watcom and Microsoft formats. These can be linked with fortran applications, as well as HP-PVM library. You can use the static or dynamic version of the HP-PVM library.

 
flib_w.lib                          Watcom format fortran library
flib_m.lib                          Microsoft format fortran library

fpvm.h                             Fortran functions header file
pvm_cons.h                      Fortran constants header file

pvmtest.f90                      Simple fortran test program
 
 

Process Farm

The process farm library includes the HP-PVM library so you do not need to link process farm programs with this. Link with procf_w.lib or procf_m.lib. Use the procfarm.h header file for the function prototypes. 'simple.c' is an NT console application. 'pmbrot.c' is a conventional windowed application.

pf_man.txt                       Manual for process farm commands. Use "simple.c"
                                       as a guide

procf_w.lib                      Watcom C format static process farm library
procf_m.lib                      Microsoft C format static process farm library

procfarm.h                       Process farm library header file

pmbrot.c                          Parallel mandlebrot source
simple.c                           Times table program source

pmbrot.exe                      Parallel mandlebrot executable
simple.exe                       Times table example executable
 
 

Unix systems

A single Unix makefile file called 'makefile' will compile these programs:

pvmtest  - the HP-PVM test program
simple  -   the process farm times table program

You might like to set up another directory for compiling the programs. Move all of the *.a, makefile, *.h and *.c files into it. You should conserve the original supplied test executables - the makefiles will overwrite them if run in the same directory.

Once you have successfully compiled and tested the example programs, you are ready to produce you own.
 
 

HP-PVM

 
pvmlib.a                             HP-PVM static library

pvm.h                                C header file

pvmtest.c                           Pvmtest source code

pvmtest                              Pvmtest executable
 
 

Process Farm

 
libprocfarm.a                   Process farm library
procfarm.h                      Process farm header file

pmbrot.c                         Parallel mandlebrot source
simple.c                          Simple process farm times table source

pmbrot                           Parallel mandlebrot executable
simple                            Times table executable
 
 

Implemented Commands

The following PVM 3.3 commands are currently implemented in HP-PVM. These account for most of the core capabilities of PVM, and additional commands can usually be added quickly if requested. Please refer to standard PVM documentation, and the supplied C examples for details of the use of these commands.
 

pvm_mytid                  pvm_parent             pvm_exit

pvm_config                 pvm_addhosts          pvm_mstat
pvm_notify                 pvm_pstat                pvm_spawn
pvm_tidtohost

pvm_bufinfo               pvm_initsend            pvm_nrecv
pvm_probe                 pvm_recv                 pvm_send
pvm_trecv

pvm_pkbyte               pvm_pkcplx             pvm_pkdcplx
pvm_pkdouble           pvm_pkfloat             pvm_pkint
pvm_pklong               pvm_pkshort            pvm_pkstr
pvm_pkuint                pvm_pkulong           pvm_pkushort

pvm_upkbyte             pvm_upkcplx           pvm_upkdcplx
pvm_upkdouble         pvm_upkfloat           pvm_upkint
pvm_upklong             pvm_upkshort          pvm_upkstr
pvm_upkuint              pvm_upkulong          pvm_upkushort
 

The following extra commands have been added to HP-PVM
 

pvme_config_ex

pvm_config with extended structure which includes count of number of processors per computer, which comes from the config file procs option. It is used in the same way as the standard pvm_config command.

pvme_nsend

Non-blocking send command, used like pvm_send. The function returns 1 if the operation completes, and 0 if it does not. The command should be called repeatedly with the same arguments until it completes.

pvme_tsend

Time-out send command.
    PVMINT pvme_tsend(PVMINT dest, PVMINT msg, struct timeval *timeout);
If the send operation blocks and does not complete before the time-out is reached, it will return 0. If it completes it will return 1. The command should be called repeatedly with the same arguments until it completes.

pvme_tprobe

Time-out probe. This is used like pvm_probe, but waits for the specified time-out before returning 0, if no data is found.

pvme_set_icon

Set icon to use for the pvm debug window. This must be done before calling any other pvm command.

pvme_sysinfo

Get system info, as displayed at beginning of the pvmtest program.

pvme_terminate

Terminate pvm from the windows procedure whilst in a blocking pvm function. The pvm function should exit with a PvmSysErr return value.

pvme_uniq_daemon

Force the application to use a unique network of daemons, rather than using the existing one. This increases scaleabilty when several applications are being run on the same computer, as each daemon can support a limited number of tasks. It also removes the risk of one application breaking another by crashing the daemon.

Notable differences between HP-PVM and standard PVM

There are some notable differences between HP-PVM and standard PVM that the developer should to be aware of.
 

The large scaleable datagram communications used in HP-PVM, although currently quite slow, include full flow control, which overcomes serious problems that exist in standard PVM

HP-PVM does not hijack WinMain or main entry points of your applications, which avoids potential clashes with other libraries which do the same. A slave task should call pvm_mytid to connect into the PVM system quickly after starting up, else it will time out and the spawn will fail at the parent task

HP-PVM applications automatically start up daemons if they are not already running, allowing a simpler, faster and more seamless use of the HP-PVM library by applications.

HP-PVM has some useful extended commands

No 'setopt' options are currently implemented. HP-PVM will perform well when communicating between computers of the same gender, without encoding being switched off, since it uses a different encoding method to standard PVM.

HP-PVM will automatically allocate direct TCP-IP connections or shared memory connections between tasks until resources run out, before falling back on the scaleable daemon routed datagram communications.

The non-determinism harness is currently not operational

The implementation of shared memory in HP-PVM is completely different to the approach used in standard PVM. Communications between shared memory machines and other machines on the network will be significantly faster as direct TCP-IP links are created between tasks, but shared memory communication under Unix may be slower, due to the multiplexing of TCP-IP and shared memory communications.