The role of performance tools in software sustainment

The US DOE is interested in the performance aspect of software sustainment: as new machines become available, how can software teams ensure that they are achieving efficient use of the resources for which they have allocations? Specialized software tools are an essential element to understanding and sustaining application performance, and the US DOE has funded an ongoing project called Software Tools Ecosystem Project or STEP. STEP seeks to ensure the health of these key tools and the community that provides them against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving HPC landscape. In this talk, I’ll give an update on our efforts to provide effective performance tools, including our goals and our challenges. I will be joined by co-presenters Sameer Shende of the University of Oregon and John Mellor-Crummey of Rice University.