Visualization of OpenMP* task dependencies using intel® advisor – Flow graph analyzer

Abstract

With the introduction of task dependences, the OpenMP API considerably extended the expressiveness of its task-based parallel programming model. With task dependences, programmers no longer have to rely on global synchronization mechanisms like task barriers. Instead they can locally synchronize a restricted subset of generated tasks by expressing an execution order through the depend clause. With the OpenMP tools interface of Technical Report 6 of the OpenMP API specification, it becomes possible to monitor task creation and execution along with the corresponding dependence information of these tasks. We use this information to construct a Task Dependence Graph (TDG) for the Flow Graph Analyzer (FGA) tool of Intel® Advisor. The TDG representation is used in FGA for deriving metrics and performance prediction and analysis of task-based OpenMP codes. We apply the FGA tool to two sample application kernels and expose issues in their usage of OpenMP tasks.