A coarse-grained data flow (CGD) virtual machine model of computing for the development of a programming environment for parallel programs on MIMD architectures will be investigated. This paradigm will be evaluated using three criteria: (a) portability across a wide range of parallel architectures, and (b) effective support for performance monitoring and debugging, and (c) ease of use. To study the portability of this paradigm, Charm, a run time system for portable parallel programming on MIMD architectures has been developed. To date, numerous reallife applications have been implemented using Charm, thus making it an effective testbed. To study the effectiveness of CGD as a portable programming paradigm, Intrepid - an integrated environment for performance monitoring, instrumentation and debugging, will be developed on a network of Unix workstations. Programs developed using Intrepid will be capable of running efficiently on a wide range of MIMD architectures without change. In a single environment, Intrepid will enable the comparison of the performance of parallel programs on different MIMD computers. This will permit the identification of architectural and operating system level support that is required for the efficient, portable implementation of the CGD paradigm.
