title: Algorithmic scalability in globally constrained conservative parallel discrete event simulations of asynchronous systems.
abstract: We consider parallel simulations for asynchronous systems employing L processing elements that are arranged on a ring. Processors communicate only among the nearest neighbors and advance their local simulated time only if it is guaranteed that this does not violate causality. In simulations with no constraints, in the infinite L limit the utilization scales [Korniss et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1351 (2000)]; but, the width of the virtual time horizon diverges (i.e., the measurement phase of the algorithm does not scale). In this work, we introduce a moving Delta-window global constraint, which modifies the algorithm so that the measurement phase scales as well. We present results of systematic studies in which the system size (i.e., L and the volume load per processor) as well as the constraint are varied. The Delta constraint eliminates the extreme fluctuations in the virtual time horizon, provides a bound on its width, and controls the average progress rate. The width of the Delta window can serve as a tuning parameter that, for a given volume load per processor, could be adjusted to optimize the utilization, so as to maximize the efficiency. This result may find numerous applications in modeling the evolution of general spatially extended short-range interacting systems with asynchronous dynamics, including dynamic Monte Carlo studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the MSU ERC, PO Box 5167, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762-5167, USA. alicjak@bellsouth.net
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kolakowska
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korniss