discuss: Thread: HOWTO proposal

I'd like to write up the Remote-Serial-Console HOWTO.  It's
pretty much going to be an extension of
/usr/src/linux/Documentation/serial-console.txt

Probably also cover console management software like
VA's VACM and the Purdue software.

Comments?

-Mark

-- 
Mark Komarinski - Senior Systems Engineer - VA Linux Systems
(cell)  978-697-2228
(email) ####@####.####
"Have one day pleasant" - Babelfish

On Thu, Mar 08, 2001 at 08:56:28PM -0500, Mark Komarinski wrote:
> I'd like to write up the Remote-Serial-Console HOWTO.  It's
> pretty much going to be an extension of
> /usr/src/linux/Documentation/serial-console.txt
> 
> Probably also cover console management software like
> VA's VACM and the Purdue software.
> 
> Comments?

Sounds interesting. I don't know much about it, so I'm interested in
reading it.

-- 
Dr. David C. Merrill                     http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project                   ####@####.####
Collection Editor & Coordinator            http://www.linuxdoc.org
                                       Finger me for my public key

((lambda (foo) (bar foo)) (baz))

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Mark Komarinski writes:

| I'd like to write up the Remote-Serial-Console HOWTO.  It's
| pretty much going to be an extension of
| /usr/src/linux/Documentation/serial-console.txt

Would be good to mention the serial console hacks for Magic SysRq:

  ftp://ftp.cistron.nl/pub/people/miquels/kernel/v2.2/
  http://banyan.dlut.edu.cn/news/082499/0114.html

Cheers,

Martin


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I would like to write a "parallel programming using MPI" howto, with a
working title of "Parallel programming with MPI: a practical guide".

It would be designed to fit alomg side the existing clustering and
parallel programming howtos (the latter has a brief section on MPI)
and would be unashamedly targetted at programmers with no parallel
programming experience who need to get to be reasonably competent as
quickly as possible. It would be pretty platform independent with an
appendix on linux clustering.

FWIW, I'm the systems manager and programmer for an IBM SP parallel
supercomputer at the University of Exeter, UK and I also manage the
usual assortment of linux boxes including an ethernet cluster and a "I
thought it was meant to be here last week" dedicated beowulf.

Hope you like the provisional outline below.

John

Dr John Rowe
University of Exeter
UK


* Introduction
** Purpose and audience

* Background
** PCs have got faster, supercomputers haven't
** Platform-independent parallelisation software.
** Supercomputers still have some advantages

* What is an MPI program?

* Programs that parallelise
** Codes consisting of independent calculations parallelise well
** Data dependency inhibits parallelisation
** Interconnect performance is dominated by latency
** Will my program parallise using ethernet?
** Summary

* Strategy of parallelising programs
** High level not low level: top down not bottom up
** Only parallelise the bits that take the time
** Use profilers to find the expensive routines
** The 80/20 rule and Amdahl's law 
** Think data as well as calculations

* MPI initialization and information
** mpif.h  defines various MPI_* constants
** MPI_INIT initialises MPI
** MPI_COMM_SIZE returns the number of processes. 
** MPI_COMM_RANK returns the unique rank of each process
** MPI_FINALIZE exits MPI

* Input/output
** The order of output from shared channels is unpredictable
** Files should be shared for reading only
** Per-process output files should have unique names 

* Point to point communication
** Sends and receives are matched 
** MPI_RECV can wild-card the sender and the tag, MPI_SEND cannot
** MPI_ABORT tries to abort all the MPI processes 

* Collective communication provides high-level data sharing and reduction

* Asymmetrical timings: master/slave configurations
** Processes may be divided into groups and subgroups
** Communicators allow us to choose the rank of their processes within subgroups
** MPI_COMM_SPLIT creates new communicators

* Tips, problems and solutions

* Features of MPI not covered in this guide
** Non-blocking and buffered communication
** Process topologies

* Further reading

* Appendix: Using a cluster of workstations for parallel computing

* Appendix: Installing and using MPI

* Appendix: Further sources of information

* Appendix: MPI subroutine reference

Hi There!

> I would like to write a "parallel programming using MPI" howto, with a
> working title of "Parallel programming with MPI: a practical guide".

Take note of the authors guide from http://www.linuxdoc.org/ but your
subject is suitable.

> It would be designed to fit alomg side the existing clustering and
> parallel programming howtos (the latter has a brief section on MPI)
> and would be unashamedly targetted at programmers with no parallel
> programming experience who need to get to be reasonably competent as
> quickly as possible. It would be pretty platform independent with an
> appendix on linux clustering.

OK. Would you consider contacting the existing clustering and parallel
programming howto maintainers with a view to referencing your document
once you've written it? That way you and they don't have to duplicate
effort?

DSL
-- 
There's a sad face in the mirror
  And I'm sad to say it's me
  Like a ghost up in the attic
Only love can set met free...

OK, I think I've found a HOWTO that needs writing, and is definitely 
non-distro-specific. This would be my first, so I'm not sure of the 
protocols, do I make a formal proposal now?

My proposal is a Computational Linguistics HOWTO. I have a background in 
linguistics. This a a rapidly expanding field and there is a LOT of stuff 
out there, but it is poorly understood, poorly distributed and 
poorly documented.

The closest thing to it is probably the AI & Alife HOWTO, but only about 
5% overlap if that.

This HOWTO would briefly survey the major branches of 
contemporary computational linguistics and the major types of 
linguistics software, and then catalogue Linux software 
available in each category. An extensive bibliography and list of 
resources such as websites and mailing lists would also included. Some 
general advice would also be offered on system configuration for 
linguistics work.

I believe this would be a useful resource/starting point for both students 
and academics seeking powerful but economic solutions to computational 
linguistic problems.

Thanks

Michael Hall

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 ####@####.#### wrote:

> My proposal is a Computational Linguistics HOWTO.

Go for it!

(The only reason I have any knowledge of computers/computing science at 
all is because in 1968 there was *nothing* available to those of us 
interested in, and pioneering, the field of computational linguistics; so 
we had to learn how to write our own from scratch.  We're talking punched 
cards and IBM 1130s here.  And fighting the Physics Dept's ingrained 
belief that arts researchers ought not to be allowed within 100 miles of 
their precious hardware.)

Since then I've watched the field develop and seen everyone carry on in 
the same way -- there's not much out there, so let's re-invent the wheel 
and write our own.  Or adapt other stuff (such as Writer's Workbench for 
keyword-in-context analysis.)


> This HOWTO would briefly survey the major branches of contemporary 
> computational linguistics and the major types of linguistics software, and 
> then catalogue Linux software available in each category.

Sorely needed.  I'm sure many people are like me, with their own little 
lists of preferred sotware -- badly maintained and rapidly getting out of 
date.  [See my reference to Writer's Workbench above!]


> An extensive 
> bibliography and list of resources such as websites and mailing lists would 
> also included. Some general advice would also be offered on system 
> configuration for linguistics work.

Perhaps also a brief history of the field as regards how various bits of 
software developed from basic Unix sysadmin utilities?


> I believe this would be a useful resource/starting point for both students 
> and academics seeking powerful but economic solutions to computational 
> linguistic problems.

Seconded.
-- 
Martin Wheeler   -   StarTEXT / AVALONIX - Glastonbury - BA6 9PH - England
####@####.####                http://www.startext.co.uk/mwheeler/
GPG pub key : 01269BEB  6CAD BFFB DB11 653E B1B7 C62B  AC93 0ED8 0126 9BEB
       - Share your knowledge. It's a way of achieving immortality. -

--- ####@####.#### wrote:

> 
> OK, I think I've found a HOWTO that needs writing,
> and is definitely 
> non-distro-specific. This would be my first, so I'm
> not sure of the 
> protocols, do I make a formal proposal now?

The idea seems to be good. You can go ahead and write
the document and submit it to the list as a online
link for further document when you feel its good
enough as a draft for peer reviews. You can find
further information in the LDP FAQ and authors guide

=====
Regards
Rahul Sundaram


	
		
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