lib: fortran-m/reports (index) (tar)
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Questions/comments? Direct email to fortran-m@mcs.anl.gov
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Ian Foster
Robert Olson
Steven Tuecke
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WHAT IS Fortran M?
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Fortran M is a small set of extensions to Fortran 77 that supports
a modular approach to the design of message-passing programs. It has
the following features.
(1) Modularity. Programs are constructed by using explicitly-declared
communication channels to plug together program modules called
processes. A process can encapsulate common data, subprocesses, and
internal communication.
(2) Safety. Operations on channels are restricted so as to guarantee
deterministic execution, even in dynamic computations that create and
delete processes and channels. Channels are typed, so a compiler can
check for correct usage.
(3) Architecture Independence. The mapping of processes to processors
can be specified with respect to a virtual computer with size and
shape different from that of the target computer. Mapping is
specified by annotations that influence performance but not
correctness.
(4) Efficiency. Fortran M can be compiled efficiently for
uniprocessors, shared-memory computers, distributed-memory computers,
and networks of workstations. Because message passing is incorporated
into the language, a compiler can optimize communication as well as
computation.
Compatability libraries are available that allow the integration of
message-passing programs into an Fortran M framework. Send mail to
fortran-m@mcs.anl.gov for details. A compilation system that
integrates Fortran M and HPF is under development in collaboration
with Syracuse University.
For more information, see the user manual or use World Wide Web at
address
http://www.mcs.anl.gov/fortran-m
(WWW is a distributed multimedia system, accessible for example
via NCSA XMosaic.) The server currently provides FM tutorial slides,
the FM manual, application case studies, and programming examples.
Fortran M has been funded in part by NSF and DOE.
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