2. Basic Metis Usage

This first chapter will provide two into-the-fire projects that will teach you the core systems of Metis. This will be done through a simple C++ project, followed by an optimized version written with CUDA.

It's recommended to have a minimal knowledge of C++, CUDA, and Linux / Bash. If you haven't used any of these three before, or if it's been a while, linked below are some introductory resources:

• Linux / Bash
• C++
• CUDA

These next two chapters lay the foundational skills needed to use the advanced techniques in the following chapters, and it is highly recommended that you read them before proceeding!

Overview of the Chapters

Chapter 2.1: C++ on Metis

• Goals: Familiarize with basic commands and job submission on Metis.
• C++ Boilerplate: Create and run a basic "Hello, World" C++ program with computational loops.
• PBS Basics: Write a PBS job script to run your C++ program on compute nodes.
• Execution: Compile and run the C++ program locally and via PBS.
• Outcome: You will be able to understand job submission, the PBS script structure, and basic module commands.

Chapter 2.2: Building a CUDA Project from the Ground Up

• Goals: Learn to use CUDA for GPU programming on Metis.
• CUDA Boilerplate: Write a CUDA program to achieve the same task as in Chapter 1.1 but using GPU acceleration.
• CUDA Modules: Install and use the CUDA compiler (nvcc) with module commands.
• Execution: Compile and run your CUDA program, observing performance improvements.
• PBS for CUDA: Adapt the PBS script to load CUDA modules and compile with nvcc.
• Outcome: You will be able to leverage CUDA for faster computation and understand the structure of both CUDA programs and PBS scripts.