Language Interoperability for High-Performance Parallel Scientific Components

Abstract

Abstract.With the increasing complexity and interdisciplinary nature of scientific applications, code reuse is becoming increasingly important in scientific computing. One method for facilitating code reuse is the use of components technologies [16,17, 91, which have been used widely in industry. However, components have only recently worked their way into scientific computing [2, 1, 11, 181. Language interoperability is an important underlying technology for these component architectures. In this paper, we present an approach to language interoperability for a high-performance parallel, component architecture being developed by the Common Component Architecture (CCA) group.' Our approach is based on Interface Definition Language (IDL) techniques [6]. We have developed a Scientific Interface Definition Language (SIDL), as well as bindings to C and Fortran. We have also developed a SIDL compiler and run-time library support for reference counting, reflection, object management, and exception handling (Babel). Resuits from using Babel to call a standard numerical solver library (written in C) from C and Fortran show that the cost of using Babel is minimal, where as the savings in development time and the benefits of object-oriented development support for C and Fortran far outweigh the costs.

The CCA core specification in a distributed memory SPMD framework

“…Currently the CCA specification is not concerned with computer language interoperability. A separate HPC interface definition language called the Scientific Interface Definition Language (SIDL) [20,21] is being developed and this is expected to provide language interoperability for CCA ports. Since the CCA specification is defined only in terms of interfaces, it is expected to be expressed entirely in terms of SIDL when the appropriate bindings are complete (see [19] for examples).…”