Optimizing HPC Applications with Intel® Cluster Tools

CHAPTER 2

Overview of Platform Architectures

In order to optimize software you need to understand hardware. In this chapter we give you a brief overview of the typical system architectures found in the high-performance computing (HPC) today. We also introduce terminology that will be used throughout the book.

Performance Metrics and Targets

The definition of optimization found in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary reads as follows: “an act, process, or methodology of making something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible.”¹ To become practically applicable, this definition requires establishment ...