Computing nodes of next-generation supercomputers will include different memory and storage technologies. We propose a novel use of MPI windows to hide the heterogeneity of the memory and storage subsystems by providing a single common programming interface for data movement across these layers. We evaluate MPI storage windows in three different applications and three potential use-cases, such as transparent checkpointing, demonstrating that the approach commonly features a relatively small performance degradation when compared to MPI memory windows.
Ref: Rivas-Gomez, Sergio, Roberto Gioiosa, Ivy Bo Peng, Gokcen Kestor, Sai Narasimhamurthy, Erwin Laure, and Stefano Markidis. “MPI windows on storage for HPC applications.” In Proceedings of the 24th European MPI Users’ Group Meeting, p. 15. ACM, 2017.
