Introduction to Parallel Programming

Study Method : Online
Duration : 5 weeks
Subject : IT & Computer Science
Overview
Discover parallel programming fundamentals in this beginner programming course, covering OpenMP, MPI, OpenCL, and CUDA.
Course Description

Get an introduction to parallel programming using C and similar languages

This course gives beginner programmers an introduction to parallel programming.

Parallel programming describes the breaking down of a larger problem into smaller steps. Instructions are delivered to multiple processors, which will execute necessary calculations in parallel – hence the name.

On this course, you will explore the fundamentals of parallel programming using C, C++, Python, Fortran, Cuda/OpenCL or similar programming languages.

Learn to use OpenMP and MPI for parallel programming

On this course, you will:

  • Learn how to use OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing) for incremental parallelisation within a single multicore shared memory paradigm
  • Learn how to use the MPI (Message Passing Interface) message-passing standard to control communication between two processes, subroutines, or functions within a program
  • Get an introduction to the OpenMPI library project, used by TOP500 supercomputers, which aims to create a single world-class open source MPI implementation based on best practice
  • Learn how to express numerical problems in parallel programming paradigms, gaining an awareness of potential design and performance pitfalls in heterogeneous architectures Get an introduction to hybrid and accelerated paradigms (Cuda, OpenCL)

This course is delivered by the LECAD Laboratory at the University of Ljubljana, as part of PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe). The LECAD Laboratory emphasises the teaching of parallel programming alongside leading European HPC (high performance computing) centres.

This course is part of an introduction to programming from PRACE, targeting beginner programmers. It follows on from the Supercomputing course.

This course is hands-on. Some knowledge of C, C++, Fortran, Python, or similar programming languages would be useful.

Requirements

This course is part of an introduction to programming from PRACE, targeting beginner programmers. It follows on from the Supercomputing course.

This course is hands-on. Some knowledge of C, C++, Fortran, Python, or similar programming languages would be useful.

Career Path
  • Explore parallel programming fundamentals, covering OpenMP and MPI
  • Experiment how to use OpenMP for incremental parallelisation within a single multicore shared memory paradigm
  • Experiment how to use MPI message-passing standard to control communication between two processes, subroutines, or functions within a program
  • Solve numerical problems in parallel programming paradigms, gaining an awareness of potential design and performance pitfalls in heterogeneous architectures
  • Explore hybrid and accelerated paradigms (Cuda, OpenCL)
  • Hands-on practice with interactive examples using different platforms and programming languages