The Purpose of This Textbook
High performance computing (HPC) is a multidisciplinary field combining hardware technologies and architecture, operating systems, programming tools, software, and end-user problems and algorithms. Acquiring the necessary concepts, knowledge, and skills for capable engagement within HPC routinely involves an apprenticeship at one of a few rarefied sites with the essential experts, facilities, and mission objectives. Whether one's goals are associated with specific end-user domains such as science, engineering, medicine, or commercial applications, or focused on the enabling systems' technologies and methodologies that make supercomputing effective, the entry-level practitioner must embrace a wide range of distinct ...