David Mathog wrote:
>Is there a rule of thumb for when it is best to contact N workers with
>MPI_Bcast vs. when it is best to use a loop which cycles N times and
>moves the same information with MPI_Send to one worker at a time?
>
>
The rule of thumb is to use a collective whenever you can. The
rationale is that the programming should be easier/cleaner and the
underlying MPI implementation has the opportunity to do something clever.
>For that matter, other than the coding semantics, is there any real
>difference between the two approaches? That is, does MPI_Bcast really
>broadcast, daisy chain, or use other similar methods to reduce bandwidth
>use when distributing its message, or does it just go ahead and run
>MPI_Send in a loop anyway, but hide the details from the programmer?
>
I believe most MPI implementations, including OMPI, make an attempt to
"do the right thing". Multiple algorithms are available and the best
one is chosen based on run-time conditions.
With any luck, you're better off with collective calls. Of course,
there are no guarantees.
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