CISC 372 Parallel Programming
Course Syllabus

(Fall 2002)
Course objectives overview: See CIS course description page
Meeting Times: TuTh 8:00-9:15am, 218 Smith Hall
Prerequisite: CISC 220: Data Structures

Instructor: David Saunders, see home page for office hours, office location, email addr, phone #'s, etc.

Teaching Assistant: Steven Li, qili@cis.udel.edu
Office Hours: 3-5pm Fridays in 214a Smith Hall.

Required Textbook:

References:

Programming Environment and Computer Usage:

We will write parallel programs using MPI (Message Passing Interface). MPI is a library of routines that allows programs running in parallel to talk to each other, and send data back and forth. These programs will be compiled and executed on a dedicated network of linux PCs on the CIS network. You must obtain an account on this cluster as soon as possible. Go to htto://www.eecis.udel.edu and click on "Apply for Account". Ask for an academic account. When using the cluster login to "porsche.eecis.udel.edu".

Requirements and Grading:

Sketch of Topics and Pace

We will work our way through most of the Pacheco textbook at roughly the pace of a chapter per week. In the process we will learn how to use most of the functionality of the MPI message passing system. However the emphasis will be on effective use of the most important MPI functions and on Chapters 4 thru 12 of the text. We will also look at some other programmer tools for expressing and analyzing parallel programs. Reading and homework assignments will be given in class of course, but occasionally I forget to announce the reading for the next class. Students are expected to consult the course web page, http://www.cis.udel.edu/~saunders/courses/372/02f, on a regular basis. The reading and homework assignments will be posted there as the course progresses.

Email Questions:

An effective and usually quick way to resolve ambiguities and answer questions on homework and programming assignments is via email. Questions sent to saunders@cis.udel.edu will be posted anonymously with an answer via email to the entire class. Also, if you wish, you can send your comment or query to the entire class via the course mailing list: CISC372-010-02F@udel.edu In this case one or more classmates as well as the instructor may offer an answer or expand the discussion. Free speech!

Assignment Submission:

Labs must be given to the instructor by the start of class on the due date, in order to have no points deducted for lateness. The due dates are to be taken seriously and you should not expect them to be extended. The pace of work is implicit in the due dates and necessary if you expect to finish by the end of the semester. Homeworks to be graded should be turned in at the start of class on the specified due date. NO late programs or homeworks will be accepted FOR FULL CREDIT without discussion with me prior to the due date. If you cannot reach me, leave a message on my voicemail. All other assignments not delivered by the due date are considered late.

My philosophy on late assignments is: (1) Everyone should try their best to complete all assignments by the specified due date. (2) People who work conscientiously to make the deadlines should be rewarded for their promptness and sacrifice of sleep. Thus, allowing others to hand in late assignments without some penalty is not fair to these people. However, there are various circumstances that may prevent you from completing an assignment by the due date. Allowing no late assignments would not give you much incentive to continue to work on the assignment, which is a major source of learning in this course. Thus, I believe late assignments are better than no assignment.

Late assignments will be penalized 10% off the total possible points if turned in within the first 24-hour period after the specified due date and time, and 10% per 24-hour period (or fraction of a day) (including weekends) after that time, up to a week after the due date. Late assignments will be accepted with penalty up to one week after the due date. Assignments submitted at any later time without an approved excuse will not be accepted. It is up to you to determine the version of your assignment to be graded. You must weigh the late penalty against the completeness of your assignment.

Regrading Policy:

If you are dissatisfied with a grade on a homework, programming assignment, or exam, you should consult the instructor directly within a week of the day the graded assignment was returned to you. No regrade requests will be considered after this week period. If the TA graded the work, consult the TA first.

Policy on Academic Dishonesty:

You are permitted to consult orally with other students and professors on any conceptual problems or for debugging assistance on all programming assignments. Any evidence of collaboration other than this kind will be handled as stated in the Official Student Handbook of the University of Delaware. All writing of text and code must be your own, without unattributed use of or paraphrase of the work of classmates or other people. If you are in doubt regarding the requirements, please consult with me before you submit any assignment of this course.