Etnus Collaborates with Cisco, Argonne on MPI2 Debugging

TotalView Debugger will Support MPI-2: Etnus, LLC, maker of the world's most scalable multi-process debugger on Linux, UNIX and Mac OS X, is working with partners including Cisco Systems and Argonne National Laboratory to develop a debugging interface for MPI2. This interface builds upon the current MPI-1 TotalView process acquisition interface, which is currently used by almost all MPI vendors. The new interface will be supported in a future TotalView release. "Next generation MPI libraries allow programs to spawn new processes and join separately executing MPI programs," said Chris Gottbrath, Product Manager for TotalView. "The flexibility of MPI2 opens up significant new possibilities in the way scientists and engineers can structure applications. The interface will allow TotalView to attach to all executing processes within a job. It notifies TotalView when the set of processes changes, as the job executes. It also allows TotalView to debug deadlocked or hung jobs." "The increased flexibility of MPI2 will make debugging inherently more complex," adds Gottbrath. "Fortunately, the parallel architecture of the TotalView debugger is ideally suited to handle this added complexity." "We are proud to collaborate on a technology that will make it easier for scientists and software engineers to develop with MPI," said Rich Collier, CEO of Etnus, “and we are committed to ensure that TotalView continues to be the optimum debugging solution in HPC environments.” For a detailed description of the MPI2 development effort, go to its Web site. Etnus is the world's leading provider of debugging and analysis solutions for the multicore age. Etnus products enable software developers to visualize, control and correct UNIX, Linux, and Mac OS X applications running on development machines with single, dual core, multi-core, or multiple processors. The company’s flagship product, TotalView, enhances software development productivity by eliminating much of the frustration, delays, and headaches involved in debugging data-intensive, multi-process, multi-threaded, or network-distributed applications. For more than two decades, Etnus products have been at work in research institutions, government laboratories and technical computing centers, as well as commercial enterprises in the financial services, telecommunications, biotech, aerospace, weather prediction, film special effects and animation, oil and gas exploration, and computer-aided engineering markets. Etnus offers its expanding product line through direct salespeople and a worldwide network of resellers.