Performance Analysis Tools for MPI Applications and their Use in Programming Education

Performance analysis tools are frequently used to support the development of parallel MPI applications. They facilitate the detection of errors, bottlenecks, or inefficiencies but differ substantially in their instrumentation, measurement, and type of feedback. Especially, tools that provide visual feedback are helpful for educational purposes. They provide a visual abstraction of program behavior, supporting learners to identify and understand performance issues and write more efficient code. However, existing professional tools for performance analysis are very complex, and their use in beginner courses can be very demanding. Foremost, their instrumentation and measurement require deep knowledge and take a long time. Immediate, as well as straightforward feedback, is essential to motivate learners. This paper provides an extensive overview of performance analysis tools for parallel MPI applications, which experienced developers broadly use today. It also gives an overview of existing educational tools for parallel programming with MPI and shows their shortcomings compared to professional tools. Using tools for performance analysis of MPI programs in educational scenarios can promote the understanding of program behavior in large HPC systems and support learning parallel programming. At the same time, the complexity of the programs and the lack of infrastructure in educational institutions are barriers. These aspects will be considered and discussed in detail.