| Version 4.0 (R2008b) Parallel Computing Toolbox™ Software Release Notes | |
This table summarizes what is new in Version 4.0 (R2008b):
| New Features and Changes | Version Compatibility Considerations | Fixed Bugs and Known Problems | Related Documentation at Web Site |
|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Yes — Details labeled as Compatibility Considerations, below. See also Summary. | Bug
Reports | Printable Release Notes: PDF |
New features and changes introduced in this version are
This release offers the ability to convert Parallel Computing Toolbox™ applications, using MATLAB® Compiler™, into executables and shared libraries that can access MATLAB® Distributed Computing Server™. For information on this update to MATLAB Compiler, see Applications Created with Parallel Computing Toolbox Now Able to Be Compiled.
MATLAB Compiler does not support configurations that use the local scheduler or local workers (i.e., workers that run locally on the desktop machine running the MATLAB client session).
Compiled Parallel Computing Toolbox applications do not support Simulink software. For a list of other unsupported products, see the Web page http://www.mathworks.com/products/ineligible_programs/.
When workers are running a task from compiled code, they can execute only compiled code and toolbox code. They cannot execute functions contained in the current directory. Batch and MATLAB pool jobs attempt to change the worker working directory to the client working directory. When noncompiled files in the current directory conflict with compiled versions (for example, M-files with the same name), an error is thrown.
A new single program multiple data (SPMD) language construct allows enhanced interleaving of serial and parallel programming, with interlab communication.
The general form of an spmd statement is:
spmd
<statements>
endThe block of code represented by <statements> executes in parallel on workers in the MATLAB pool. Data on the labs is available for access from the client via Composite objects. For more information, see the spmd reference page and Using SPMD and Composites.
Because spmd is a new keyword, it will conflict with any user-defined functions or variables of the same name. If you have any code with functions or variables named spmd, you must rename them.
Composite objects provide direct access from the client (desktop) program to data that is stored on labs in the MATLAB pool. The data of variables assigned inside an spmd block is available via Composites in the client. When a MATLAB pool is open, you can also create Composites directly from the client using the Composite function. See also Using SPMD and Composites.
The Configurations Manager is enhanced with the capability for validating configurations. Open the Configurations Manager on the MATLAB Desktop by clicking Parallel > Manage Configurations. For more information, see Validating Configurations.
When using a job manager, if a task does not complete due to certain system failures, it can attempt to rerun up to a specified number of times. New properties of a task object to control reruns and access information about rerun attempts are:
The generic scheduler interface now allows you to cancel and destroy jobs and tasks and to investigate the state of a job. The following new properties of the generic scheduler object facilitate these features:
GetJobStateFcn
DestroyJobFcn
DestroyTaskFcn
CancelJobFcn
CancelTaskFcn
New toolbox functions to accommodate this ability are:
getJobSchedulerData
setJobSchedulerData
For more information on this new functionality, see Managing Jobs.
What was known in previous releases as distributed arrays are henceforth called codistributed arrays. Some functions related to constructing and accessing codistributed arrays have changed names in this release.
The following table summarizes the changes in function names relating to codistributed arrays. The first three functions behave exactly the same with no change in operation, arguments, etc. The isa function takes the argument 'codistributed' in addition to the array in question.
| Old Function Name | New Function Name |
|---|---|
| distributed | codistributed |
| distributor | codistributor |
| dcolon | codcolon |
| isdistributed | isa, (X, 'codistributed') |
The function matlabpool now allows you to discover is a pool of workers is already open. The form of the command is:
matlabpool size
For more information about this option and others, see the matlabpool reference page.
This version of Parallel Computing Toolbox software is accompanied by a corresponding new version of MATLAB Distributed Computing Server software.
As with every new release, you must upgrade both Parallel Computing Toolbox software and MATLAB Distributed Computing Server software together. These products must be the same version to interact properly with each other.
| Parallel Computing Toolbox Release Notes | Version 3.3 (R2008a) Parallel Computing Toolbox Software | |
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