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Reverse Engineering OpenSHMEM

libfabric

Section titled “libfabric”
  • Abstracts the network communication aspect of things for the application. Below is an example of a high level SHMEM program that leverages it.
#include <shmem.h>
#include <stdio.h>


int main() {
    shmem_init();  // Uses libfabric internally


    int my_pe = shmem_my_pe();
    int num_pes = shmem_n_pes();


    static int shared_var = 0;  // Symmetric memory


    shmem_barrier_all();  // Ensure all PEs reach this point


    if (my_pe == 0) {
        shared_var = 42;
        shmem_put(&shared_var, &shared_var, 1, 1);  // Uses libfabric to send data
    }


    shmem_barrier_all();  // Wait for transfer


    printf("PE %d sees shared_var = %d\n", my_pe, shared_var);


    shmem_finalize();  // Uses libfabric internally
    return 0;
}

Tracing the Implementation of shmem_put

Section titled “Tracing the Implementation of shmem_put”

I used Sandia’s Source Code

Definition for shmem_put

src\data_c.c4:69:`#pragma weak shmem_put$1 = pshmem_put$1
src\data_c.c4:70:#define shmem_put$1 pshmem_put$1')dnl
src\data_c.c4:91:`#pragma weak shmem_put$1_nbi = pshmem_put$1_nbi
src\data_c.c4:92:#define shmem_put$1_nbi pshmem_put$1_nbi')dnl
src\data_c.c4:238:`#pragma weak shmem_put$1_signal = pshmem_put$1_signal
src\data_c.c4:239:#define shmem_put$1_signal pshmem_put$1_signal')dnl
src\data_c.c4:261:`#pragma weak shmem_put$1_signal_nbi = pshmem_put$1_signal_nbi
src\data_c.c4:262:#define shmem_put$1_signal_nbi pshmem_put$1_signal_nbi')dnl
src\data_f.c4:57:`SHMEM_DEF_FC_PUT(FC_FUNC_(SH_DOWNCASE(shmem_put$1), SH_UPCASE(SHMEM_PUT$1)), $2)')dnl
src\data_f.c4:83:`SHMEM_DEF_FC_PUT_NBI(FC_FUNC_(SH_DOWNCASE(shmem_put$1_nbi), SH_UPCASE(SHMEM_PUT$1_NBI)), $2)')dnl

So I went and looked at data_c

  1. shmem_put is mapped via #pragma weak to pshmem_put:

    #pragma weak shmem_put = pshmem_put
    #define shmem_put pshmem_put

    This means shmem_put is an alias for pshmem_put when profiling is enabled.

  2. The actual implementation of shmem_put is in this macro:

    #define SHMEM_DEF_PUT(STYPE, TYPE)                                \
    void SHMEM_FUNCTION_ATTRIBUTES                                 \
    SHMEM_FUNC_PROTOTYPE(STYPE##_put, TYPE *target,                \
                         const TYPE *source, size_t nelems, int pe)\
    long completion = 0;                                         \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_INITIALIZED();                               \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_PE(pe);                                      \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_CTX(ctx);                                    \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_SYMMETRIC(target, sizeof(TYPE) * nelems);    \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_NULL(source, nelems);                        \
    SHMEM_ERR_CHECK_OVERLAP(target, source, sizeof(TYPE) *       \
                            nelems, sizeof(TYPE) * nelems, 0,    \
                            (shmem_internal_my_pe == pe));       \
    shmem_internal_put_nb(ctx, target, source,                   \
                          sizeof(TYPE) * nelems, pe,             \
                          &completion);                          \
    shmem_internal_put_wait(ctx, &completion);                   \
    }

    This tells us:

    • Validation checks are performed (initialization, PE check, context check, symmetry check, overlap check).
    • The actual non-blocking put operation is done using shmem_internal_put_nb.
    • The function waits for completion using shmem_internal_put_wait.

If we look at shmem_comm.h we find the implementation for shmem_internal_put_nb.

static inline
void
shmem_internal_put_nb(shmem_ctx_t ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t len, int pe,
                      long *completion)
{
    if (len == 0)
        return;


    if (shmem_shr_transport_use_write(ctx, target, source, len, pe)) {
        shmem_shr_transport_put(ctx, target, source, len, pe);
    } else {
        shmem_transport_put_nb((shmem_transport_ctx_t *)ctx, target, source, len, pe, completion);
    }
}

Breakdown of shmem_internal_put_nb

Section titled “Breakdown of shmem_internal_put_nb”

  1. Check for Zero-Length Transfers

    • If len == 0, it just returns immediately.

  2. Choose the Transport Mechanism

    • If shmem_shr_transport_use_write(...) is true, it calls:

      shmem_shr_transport_put(ctx, target, source, len, pe);

      This is an alternative transport layer (Shared Transport).

    • Otherwise, it calls:

      shmem_transport_put_nb((shmem_transport_ctx_t *)ctx, target, source, len, pe, completion);

      This is the main transport function, which is where the actual network communication happens.

We see that it is defined in multiple different places and depends on the specific type of network in use ex: Unified Communications X (UCX), portals, or openfabrics interconnect (OFI).

PS C:\Users\grant\Downloads\SOS-main> Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -Include *.c,*.h | Select-String -Pattern 'shmem_transport_put_nb'


...SNIP...
src\transport_none.h:122:shmem_transport_put_nb(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t
len,
src\transport_none.h:145:shmem_transport_put_nbi(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t
len,
src\transport_ofi.h:680:void shmem_transport_put_nb(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source,
size_t len,
src\transport_ofi.h:884:void shmem_transport_put_nbi(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source,
size_t len,
src\transport_portals4.h:574:shmem_transport_put_nbi(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source,
size_t len, int pe)
src\transport_portals4.h:590:shmem_transport_put_nb(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source,
size_t len,
src\transport_portals4.h:606:        shmem_transport_put_nbi(ctx, target, source, len, pe);
src\transport_portals4.h:1110:    shmem_transport_put_nbi(ctx, target, source, len, pe);
src\transport_ucx.h:254:shmem_transport_put_nb(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t
len,
src\transport_ucx.h:286:shmem_transport_put_nbi(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t
len,
src\transport_ucx.h:725:    shmem_transport_put_nbi(ctx, target, source, len, pe);

We’re interested in the OpenFabrics Interconnect implementation so I went and looked at transport_ofi.h:

static inline
void shmem_transport_put_nb(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const void *source, size_t len,
                            int pe, long *completion)
{
    int ret = 0;
    uint64_t dst = (uint64_t) pe;
    uint64_t polled = 0;
    uint64_t key;
    uint8_t *addr;


    shmem_internal_assert(completion != NULL);


    if (len <= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send) {


        shmem_transport_put_scalar(ctx, target, source, len, pe);


    } else if (len <= shmem_transport_ofi_bounce_buffer_size && ctx->bounce_buffers) {


        SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_LOCK(ctx);
        SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CNTR_INC(&ctx->pending_put_cntr);
        shmem_transport_ofi_get_mr(target, pe, &addr, &key);


        shmem_transport_ofi_bounce_buffer_t *buff =
            create_bounce_buffer(ctx, source, len);
        polled = 0;


        const struct iovec      msg_iov = { .iov_base = buff->data, .iov_len = len };
        const struct fi_rma_iov rma_iov = { .addr = (uint64_t) addr, .len = len, .key = key };
        const struct fi_msg_rma msg     = {
                                            .msg_iov       = &msg_iov,
                                            .desc          = GET_MR_DESC_ADDR(shmem_transport_ofi_get_mr_desc_index(source)),
                                            .iov_count     = 1,
                                            .addr          = GET_DEST(dst),
                                            .rma_iov       = &rma_iov,
                                            .rma_iov_count = 1,
                                            .context       = buff,
                                            .data          = 0
                                          };
        do {
            ret = fi_writemsg(ctx->ep, &msg, FI_COMPLETION | FI_DELIVERY_COMPLETE);
        } while (try_again(ctx, ret, &polled));
        SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_UNLOCK(ctx);


    } else {
        shmem_transport_ofi_put_large(ctx, target, source,len, pe);
        (*completion)++;
    }
}

Function Parameters

Section titled “Function Parameters”
  • shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx → The SHMEM transport context.
  • void *target → Remote memory location where data is to be written.
  • const void *source → Local memory buffer containing the data to be written.
  • size_t len → Length of the data transfer in bytes.
  • int pe → The processing element (PE) ID of the target node.
  • long *completion → A pointer to a counter tracking completion status.

Implementation Analysis

Section titled “Implementation Analysis”

  1. Handles Non-Blocking Puts (NB)

    • This function issues a non-blocking put operation.
    • The completion status is tracked via completion, which is incremented if needed.

  2. Uses Multiple Strategies for Data Transfer

    • Small transfers (<= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send)
      • Calls shmem_transport_put_scalar(), which likely performs an fi_inject_write().
    • Medium-sized transfers (<= shmem_transport_ofi_bounce_buffer_size)
      • Uses a bounce buffer and fi_writemsg().
    • Large transfers
      • Calls shmem_transport_ofi_put_large(), which likely splits data into chunks.

  3. Uses libfabric API

    • The function interacts with libfabric (fi_writemsg()).
    • It leverages Remote Memory Access (RMA) with FI_COMPLETION and FI_DELIVERY_COMPLETE.

  4. Ensures Ordering

    • SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_LOCK(ctx) and SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_UNLOCK(ctx) protect shared state.
Section titled “Related Functions”
  • shmem_transport_put_scalar(): Used for small transfers (<= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send).
  • shmem_transport_ofi_put_large(): Used for large transfers.
  • shmem_transport_put_wait(): Ensures completion.

Where is it Used?

Section titled “Where is it Used?”

  • shmem_internal_put_nb() in shmem_comm.h calls shmem_transport_put_nb() when shared memory writes are not possible:

    shmem_transport_put_nb((shmem_transport_ctx_t *)ctx, target, source, len, pe, completion);

  • Other files (transport_none.h, transport_portals4.h, etc.) contain different transport implementations.

If we go look at shmem_transport_put_scalar we see

static inline
void shmem_transport_put_scalar(shmem_transport_ctx_t* ctx, void *target, const
                               void *source, size_t len, int pe)
{
    int ret = 0;
    uint64_t dst = (uint64_t) pe;
    uint64_t polled = 0;
    uint64_t key;
    uint8_t *addr;


    shmem_transport_ofi_get_mr(target, pe, &addr, &key);


    shmem_internal_assert(len <= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send);


    SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_LOCK(ctx);
    SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CNTR_INC(&ctx->pending_put_cntr);


    do {


        ret = fi_inject_write(ctx->ep,
                              source,
                              len,
                              GET_DEST(dst),
                              (uint64_t) addr,
                              key);


    } while (try_again(ctx, ret, &polled));
    SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_UNLOCK(ctx);
}

Key Points

Section titled “Key Points”

  1. Handles Small Transfers

    • This function is called when len <= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send.
    • It ensures that small messages are handled efficiently without needing extra buffering.

  2. Uses fi_inject_write()

    • fi_inject_write() is a one-sided, RDMA write in libfabric that:
      • Does not require completion tracking.
      • Is optimized for small messages.

  3. Memory Registration

    • Calls shmem_transport_ofi_get_mr(target, pe, &addr, &key);
    • This function retrieves:
      • addr: the remote memory address.
      • key: the remote memory region key.

  4. Ensures Ordering

    • Uses:

      SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_LOCK(ctx);
      SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CTX_UNLOCK(ctx);

    • This ensures atomicity when accessing shared structures.

  5. Retries on Resource Exhaustion

    • Uses:

      do {
          ret = fi_inject_write(...);
      } while (try_again(ctx, ret, &polled));

    • If fi_inject_write() fails due to a temporary resource issue (e.g., lack of completion queue entries), it retries.

  6. Incrementing the Counter

    • Uses:

      SHMEM_TRANSPORT_OFI_CNTR_INC(&ctx->pending_put_cntr);

    • This ensures the operation is tracked in the transport layer.

Where is it Used?

Section titled “Where is it Used?”

  • shmem_transport_put_nb() (Non-Blocking Put)

    if (len <= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send) {
        shmem_transport_put_scalar(ctx, target, source, len, pe);
    }

  • shmem_transport_put_nbi() (Non-Blocking Immediate Put)

    if (len <= shmem_transport_ofi_max_buffered_send) {
        shmem_transport_put_scalar(ctx, target, source, len, pe);
    }

  • It is also indirectly used by shmem_internal_put_nb() and similar SHMEM API functions.