Defects with Random Functions

From HPCBugBase

Contents 1 Defect Type Description 2 Entries 3 Advice 4 Symptom 5 Other Findings and Contexts

[edit] Defect Type Description

This defect type is intended to cover HPC defects associated with the use of (pseudo-)random number functions. It is currently classified as a sub-type of Side-effect of Parallelization.

Some HPC applications use a pseudo-random number generator as part of computation. Various problems can occur with a pseudo-random number routine when it is called in parallel contexts.

[edit] Entries

Defect descriptions:

• Hidden Serialization
• Using the Same Randomization Seed in All Processes

[edit] Advice

• Inspect the characteristics of the implementation of the pseudo-random number generator carefully

[edit] Symptom

• Performance degradation
• Degradation of the quality of the pseudo-random sequence

[edit] Other Findings and Contexts