pPython for Parallel Python Programming

TL;DR

pPython is a Python library that enables easy-to-use parallel programming with distributed arrays, supporting flexible data redistribution and scalable performance on heterogeneous systems, including HPC environments.

Contribution

It introduces a PGAS model implementation in pure Python with transparent communication and redistribution, facilitating scalable parallel computing without complex programming.

Findings

Demonstrates scalability on HPC Challenge benchmark suite

Supports redistribution among various block-cyclic distributions

Operates seamlessly across heterogeneous systems and schedulers

Abstract

pPython seeks to provide a parallel capability that provides good speed-up without sacrificing the ease of programming in Python by implementing partitioned global array semantics (PGAS) on top of a simple file-based messaging library (PythonMPI) in pure Python. The core data structure in pPython is a distributed numerical array whose distribution onto multiple processors is specified with a map construct. Communication operations between distributed arrays are abstracted away from the user and pPython transparently supports redistribution between any block-cyclic-overlapped distributions in up to four dimensions. pPython follows a SPMD (single program multiple data) model of computation. pPython runs on any combination of heterogeneous systems that support Python, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS operating systems. In addition to running transparently on single-node (e.g., a laptop), pPython provides a scheduler interface, so that pPython can be executed in a massively parallel computing environment. The initial implementation uses the Slurm scheduler. Performance of pPython on the HPC Challenge benchmark suite demonstrates both ease of programming and scalability.