Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit iWARP LS-DYNA Performance Study

iWARP vs. Infiniband Performance:
LS-DYNA
LS-DYNA, developed by Livermore
Software Technology Corporation (LSTC),
is a general-purpose, transient-dynamic
nite-element program designed to
simulate complex real-world problems. It
is optimized for shared and distributed
memory UNIX*, Linux, and Windows*-
based platforms. Related products include
LS-OPT, a standalone Design Optimization
and Probabilistic Analysis package with
an interface to LS-DYNA; and LS-PrePost,
an advanced interactive program used
for preparing input data for LS-DYNA and
processing the results from LS-DYNA
analyses. For more information, see the
LS-DYNA website. [1]
Test Scenario
In the test case simulated here, a van
crashes into the rear of a compact car,
which in turn crashes into a midsize car.
Vehicle models were created by the
National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC)
and assembled into the input le by Mike
Berger, consultant to LSTC. For this study,
the input les were downloaded from the
Top Crunch Project. [2] This model has
794,780 elements with six contact sur-
faces and 1,052 materials. The simulation
time of collision is 150 ms.
Conclusion
By providing realistic application
performance instead of micro-benchmark
test results, this report illustrates the
danger of relying solely on synthetic
benchmarking when evaluating
networking options. HPC workloads
behave much differently than, for
example, a half round-trip latency test:
using multiple connections in a switched
environment with non-uniform I/O
patterns.
The real-world application results shown
in this report show the viability of iWARP
Ethernet as an alternative to discrete,
proprietary fabrics for HPC workloads.
The fundamental advantages of a
converged Ethernet network combined
with easier IP-based management and
native routing capability make iWARP a
compelling solution for HPC use cases.
References
[1] http://www.ls-dyna.com/.
[2] http://www.topcrunch.org/.
Figure 1. LS-DYNA iWARP versus InfiniBand* Performance-Testing Results (lower
y-axis figures are better)
0.00
100.00
200.00
300.00
400.00
500.00
600.00
4x1 4x2 8x1 4x4 8x2 4x8 8x4 8x8
Time (mins)
Cores (nodes x cores per node)
Infinband*
iWARP
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Intel® Ethernet 10 Gigabit iWARP LS-DYNA Performance Study
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Intel® Ethernet 10 Gigabit iWARP LS-DYNA Performance Study