The IBM SDK for Multicore Acceleration Version 3.0 is available for two
different Linux® distributions (RHEL5.1 and Fedora 7) and in three
different package types: Developer, Product, and Extras. After
choosing the Linux distribution and package(s) you are interested in,
proceed to SDK downloads.
SDK 3.0 is closely aligned with the distribution of Red Hat Enterprise
Linux (RHEL) Version 5.1. The Linux kernel and libSPE are enabled for
Cell/B.E. environments. The IBM BladeCenter QS21 is the only
RHEL5.1-supported execution platform
SDK 3.0 also supports Fedora 7 for researchers, academics, and
individual developers that do not need a supported Enterprise-capable
Linux distribution. A modified version of the Fedora 7 Linux kernel is
provided for Cell/B.E. hardware. The IBM BladeCenter QS20 and QS21, and
Full System Simulator are the Fedora 7-supported execution platforms.
Applications can be developed on x86, x86_64, PowerPC and Cell/B.E.
platforms. The first two are supported through cross-compilation and
linking.
The Developer package is available in two forms: an SDK 3.0
RHEL5.1 Developer package and SDK 3.0 Fedora 7 Developer package. These
are provided under an International License Agreement for Non-Warranted
Programs and are intended for evaluations of the SDK in a
non-production environment. Both Developer packages provide access
to all the mature technologies in the SDK 3.0 including:
Accelerator Library Framework (ALF) — updated in this
release. ALF simplifies the data distribution and work queue management
for multiple tasks in a multicore environment.
BLAS linear algebra library — new in this release,
supports both single and double precision linear algebra functions.
Data Communication and Synchronization Library (DaCS)
— new in this release, contains functions for process
management, data movement, and synchronization between the PPE and SPE.
Example source code — updated in this release with new
examples.
FDPR-Pro — updated, this feedback-directed post-link
optimizer can be used to improve the execution time of the entire
PPE/SPE executable.
GNU GCC tool chain — updated in this release with
improved auto-SIMDization code, simplified application development with
additional PPU VMX intrinsics and SPE static stack-space requirement
estimation, integrated software-managed cache for data access and
enhancements to the combined PPE/SPE debugger. The GCC compiler is
compliant with the
SPE
Stall Application Note.
GNU Ada compiler for PPE — new in this release.
GNU Fortran compiler for PPE and SPE — new in this
release.
Eclipse IDE for Cell — updated in this release with ALF
Programming Model support, better integration with the Full System
Simulator and many usability/productivity enhancements
MASS Library — updated with more tuning to SPE math
functions
Performance Debugging Tool — added in this release to
help trace and debug your application. Ships with a trace output
visualizer.
PDT Reporting tools — added in this release to
post-process of PDT traces to provide analysis and summary reports.
SIMD MATH library — updated to now include all
functions defined in the
SIMD Math
specification.
Installation — updated to a new YUM-based installation
process.
Documentation — updated for SDK 3.0 and is now
installed as part of the SDK.
For Fedora 7 only, the Developer package also includes:
Kernel — enhanced Fedora 7 Linux kernel that fully
enables and supports IBM BladeCenter QS20 and QS21 hardware.
LibSPE2 — updated to better support SPU Isolation mode
(see secure SDK).
numactl — integrated version of numactl that works on
IBM BladeCenter QS20 and QS21 hardware.
The SDK 3.0 RHEL5.1 Product package provides the same function as
the RHEL5.1 Developer Package plus access to IBM Support and is
intended for production purposes. The Product package is licensed
under an International Program License Agreement and is available from the
IBM Passport Advantage® tool.
The Extras package provides add-ons that can be applied to both
the Product package and Developer package on RHEL5.1 and Fedora 7. The
Extras packages are used to make available our latest and greatest
technologies as soon as possible. They tend to be less mature or
technology preview level code that may or may not become part of the
generally available product in the future. The Extras packages are
licensed under an International License Agreement for Early Release of
Programs and contain:
ALF for Hybrid-x86 — new in this release to provide
support for a hybrid computing environment with an X86_64 host and CBEA
hardware accelerators.
DaCS for Hybrid-x86 — new in this release to provide
support for process management, data movement, and synchronization
between a X86_64 host and CBEA hardware accelerators.
FFT Library — new in this release, provides wide range
of 1D and 2D Fast Fourier Transforms.
Hybrid Performance Tools — new in this release, assists
with using and collating results from performance tools in a hybrid
environment between a X86_64 host and CBEA hardware accelerators.
Random Number Generator Library — new in this release,
provides random numbers suitable for simulation.
SPU Timer Library — new in this release, provides
virtual clock and timer services for SPU applications.
XL C/C++ Alpha Edition for Multicore Acceleration single source
compiler — new advanced compiler in this release which
can help programmers efficiently exploit the unique performance
capabilities of Cell/B.E. systems. The compiler is a single-source
compiler, and can generate compiled code for both the PPU and the SPUs
from a single program source in one compilation.
For Fedora 7 only, the Extras package also includes:
Full System Simulator and Sysroot Image — updated in
this release to provide faster execution on 64-bit platforms, improved
performance models, and an improved GUI for better usability. The
Sysroot Image has been updated to Fedora 7.
Hardware Performance Counter — updated in this release
to help analyze the performance of software by accessing hardware
performance counters in the Cell/B.E. processor.
OProfile — tools used for profiling user and kernel
level code.
SPU Crash dump — new in this release, provides specific
commands for analyzing CBEA SPU run control state in a system crash.
SPU Isolation — new in this release, provides a build
and runtime environment for signing and encrypting SPE applications.
Complete encryption support is provided in the Secure SDK. (Send e-mail
to cellserv@us.ibm.com for
details.)
