Debugging Scientific Applications - Illustration on OpenFOAM

Content

The development of scientific software has its unique challenges compared to general application software. In particular the parallel execution of computations on multiple cores and nodes is specific. Since, the debugging parallel codes with race conditions is challenging, this course offers an introduction to advanced developers to tackle this problem. However, also single core simulation codes can be difficult to debug for beginners. For this group, the course gives also an introduction to the use of gdb and Visual Studio Code for the debugging of single core codes. As example the training uses the open source cfd software OpenFOAM.

Requirements

• Basic understanding of C, C++ for serial applications
• Experience with MPI for parallel applications
• Practical experience with the Linux command line and cluster environments
• Either a GWDG NHR account, or a course account for GWDG NHR

Learning goal

• Understanding the configuration and usage of Visual Studio Code and gdb for debugging
• Executing and debugging a simple example problem
• Understanding the configuration and usage of Totalview

Skills

Trainer

• Dr. Patrick Höhn
• Dr. Jack Ogaja

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