NCSA releases new online course system, updated MPI tutorial

NCSA has released a new Web-based training environment, called CI-Tutor. CI-Tutor replaces NCSA's previous Web-based training environment, WebCT-HPC, which was based on the WebCT course management environment. CI-Tutor currently offers 10 courses covering high-performance computing topics such as code debugging, MPI, scientific visualization, and performance tuning. There are no restrictions on who can take a course—anyone can create a login to access the available courses. To browse the course catalog, go to www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/UserInfo/Training/CI-Tutor/. To create a login and take a course, go to http://ci-tutor.ncsa.uiuc.edu/login.php. In addition to the new learning environment provided by CI-Tutor, a revised version of the popular tutorial "Introduction to MPI," originally released in 2000, is available. This revised tutorial includes additional programming exercises and updated content. The revised version was developed through the National Science Foundations's Engaging People in Cyberinfrastructure subaward led by the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC). Domain experts at OSC, Boston University, University of Kentucky, and NCSA who contributed to the first version also contributed to the revision. There have been approximately 19,500 student logins created for the "Introduction to MPI tutorial" since its initial release.