CSc 522: Parallel and Distributed Computing, Fall 2019

Lectures: TR 8am-9:15am, Gould-Simpson 906

Description of Course

This course will cover a variety of advanced concepts in parallel and distributed computing. Topics will be chosen from:
  • Introduction/Getting up to speed. This will include parallel architectures, how to parallelize applications, and synchronization mechanisms.
  • Programming abstractions
  • Modeling parallel programs, including understanding system noise
  • Parallelizing compilers
  • Data distribution
  • Software and hardware distributed shared memory
  • Nonblocking synchronization
  • Peer-to-peer computing
  • Accelerators
  • Interconnection networks
  • Power in high-performance computing
  • Resilience in high-performance computing
  • State-of-the-art high-performance computer architectures

Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be an expert in traditional concurrency as well as key topics in high-performance computing.

Course Prerequisite

CSc 422. We will cover some of the CSc 422 material in the first few weeks; however, most of the class will be graduate-level material.

Instructor and Contact Information

Instructor: David Lowenthal

Office: 705 Gould-Simpson
(520) 626 8282 tel
(520) 621 4632 dept

Email : dkl is my username, the cs domain at UA is the rest; you can figure it out from there.
Office Hours : Monday, 12:30pm-1:30pm and Thursday, 9:15am-11:15am; and by appointment.

Please do not hesitate to come to my office during office hours. Office hours will usually be very busy right before an assignment is due; if you start the assignments early and come to my office well before they are due, you have a better chance of avoiding the rush. Due to my busy schedule, I cannot accept drop-ins outside of office hours. I will also be available by appointment; please send me email to set one up. Please note that I may not be able to accept all requests for appointments, especially around program due dates. If you do wish to see me outside of office hours, you need to make an appointment.

Absence and Class Participation Policy

The UA's policy concerning Class Attendance, Participation, and Administrative Drops is available at this link.

The UA policy regarding absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice will be accommodated where reasonable. See the policy here.

Absences preapproved by the UA Dean of Students (or dean's designee) will be honored. See the policy here.

Attendance at lectures is optional. You are, however, responsible for all material covered in lectures, and there will be unannounced quizzes for which you will receive a zero if you skip class. I will do my best to make lectures interesting.

You should come to lecture prepared. This means you have read the assigned material in advance.

"Lecture" is really a misnomer. Ideally, we will have a discussion as opposed to me just lecturing. Please do not hesitate to ask questions; you might think your question is dumb, but more likely, many people are wondering about the same thing.

Powerpoint lectures and examples

Lecture slides will be posted here before each class.

Course Communications

Significant information will go out via piazza, so you are responsible for signing up for and checking there. If you have something personal to ask/tell me, send it directly to me. I will be using D2L for keeping track of grades.

The class schedule (second link on the course web page) will be updated as we go; you should reload this page often. Reading List

Readings

Textbook

There is no required textbook for this course. A good reference text for all of the material on concurrency, synchronization, and communication is Foundations of Multithreaded, Parallel, and Distributed Programming by Andrews.

Required Reading List for Parallel and Distributed Computing

This list will be updated throughout the semester.

Important Dates

Final Examination or Project

As mentioned above, the final exam is Tuesday, December 19th, 8am-10am. Please see the Final Exam Regulations and the Final Exam Schedule.

All assignments are due precisely at the specified time.  Please note: if your assignment is even one second late, it's late, without exception.  You will have to turn the assignment in before the time it is due.  I will not allow "you missed by 1 minute, so it's ok." In addition, any missed exam will result in a grade of zero.

Grading Scale and Policies

Grades will be assigned on the usual A-F basis. Grading will be absolute; there will be no "curve". Achieving a 90% will guarantee an "A", 80% a "B", and so on. However, when the final grades are given, it could be the case, for example, that an 85% gets an "A". Do not confuse this with a curve, however. If everyone does A work (as I hope), everyone will get an A. If everyone does C work, everyone will get a C. So that you know your grade at all times, four fictitious students will be given grades for each assignment and exam. These students will be named "Min A", "Min B", etc., indicating the minimum score for each grade.

Grading will be divided as follows:

Grading Timeliness

I take seriously deadlines and expect you to turn everything in on time. In return, I will adhere to the following grading return policies. Requests for incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W) must be made in accordance with University policies, which are available here and here, respectively.

Important: Your grade will be the one you earn.  If you need this class to graduate, I suggest that you earn a good enough grade.    Under no circumstances will your graduation or visa status affect your grade.  This includes situations such as: (1) your parents are coming for graduation, (2) your relatives are flying in from halfway around the world for your graduation,  (3) you have a job lined up and have to start immediately, (4) you got all A's up to this point, and you have never received a grade below an A, and/or (5) you will have to leave the country if you do not achieve a certain grade.

Scheduled Topics/Activities

Dept. of Computer Science Code of Conduct

The Department of Computer Science is committed to providing and maintaining a supportive educational environment for all. We strive to be welcoming and inclusive, respect privacy and confidentiality, behave respectfully and courteously, and practice intellectual honesty. Disruptive behaviors (such as physical or emotional harassment, dismissive attitudes, and abuse of department resources) will not be tolerated. The complete Code of Conduct is available on our department web site. We expect that you will adhere to this code, as well as the UA Student Code of Conduct, while you are a member of this class.

Classroom Behavior Policy

To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities (e.g., texting, chatting, reading a newspaper, making phone calls, web surfing, etc.).

Students are asked to refrain from disruptive conversations with people sitting around them during lecture. Students observed engaging in disruptive activity will be asked to cease this behavior. Those who continue to disrupt the class will be asked to leave lecture or discussion and may be reported to the Dean of Students.

Please refrain from using personal electronics, such as laptops and iPads, except for taking notes.

Threatening Behavior Policy

The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself. See here.

UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination; see the policy here.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Our goal in this classroom is that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on the Disability Resource Center and reasonable accommodations, please visit here.

If you have reasonable accommodations, please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Please be aware that the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.

Crisis Contacts

Located in Tucson? Call the Community-Wide Crisis Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 520-622-6000.

Are you a University of Arizona student? If it is not an emergency and you are a UA student, call or walk-in to Counseling and Psych Services at 520-621-3334 Monday - Friday. Walk-in triage is available between 9 am and 4 pm Monday - Friday.

Are you a concerned friend? Concerned friends can find out more about helping a friend who might be experiencing problems through our Friend 2 Friend website.

Resources for sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.

24-Hour Hotlines:

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in our national network of more than 150 crisis centers. The Lifeline’s national network of local crisis centers provides crisis counseling and mental health referrals day and night.

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime, about any type of crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform. Find out more about how it works at crisistextline.org.

Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ Youth through the Trevor Project:

Veterans’ Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

SAMHSA Treatment Referral Hotline (Substance Abuse): 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)   

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673)

Loveisrespect (National Dating Abuse Helpline): Call 1-866-331-9474 (TTY: 1-866-331-8453). Text LOVEIS to 22522 - you'll receive a response from a peer advocate prompting you for your question. Go ahead and text your comment or question and we will reply.

 

Code of Academic Integrity

Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See the policy here.

Note that copying materials from the Web or past offerings of this or a similar course is a violation of academic honesty.

Additional Resources for Students

UA Academic policies and procedures are available at this link.

Student Assistance and Advocacy information is available at this link.

Subject to Change Statement

Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.