llnl / llnl/Quicksilver

Initialize random number generator

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Dominant language
C++
Stars
47
Forks
37
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Hello,

We are currently trying to run several Proxy apps with SMPI/SimGrid (https://github.com/simgrid/SMPI-proxy-apps/ and https://github.com/simgrid/simgrid).

We had a little issue with Quicksilver, as the mesh is initialized with random centers. But the random number generator used in initMC.cc does not seem to be initialized explicitely. It's OK when all processes are running separately, as they will all return the same sequence, but for SimGrid we "fold" all of the processes into a single one. So all processes are generating different centers, which leads to issues later.

Adding a call to srand48(params.simulationParams.seed); in initMesh (initMC.cc:257) fixes the issue for us, ensuring that all processes will be initialized to the same seed before running the calls to drand48.

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Research direction

Start in initMC.cc at initMesh, around line 257, and inspect how the mesh's random centers are generated with drand48. Check the existing simulation seed in params.simulationParams.seed and verify the change using the SMPI/SimGrid execution scenario described in the issue. Done means all folded processes initialize consistently from the configured seed.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
hpc
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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