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PAR Class 9, Thu 2022-02-10

Source

1 Nvidia GPU and accelerated computing, part 3

This is from https://developer.nvidia.com/teaching-kits-downloads

My local copy of what I'm using is in /parclass/2022/files/nvidia/GPU-Teaching-Kit-Accelerated-Computing.zip

Continuing from Lecture 3.5 – CUDA Parallelism Model.

Read Chapter 3:

Module 3 - CUDA Parallelism Model/EBook Chapters/3rd-Edition-Chapter03-scalable-parallel-execution.pdf

Exercise from p66:

Assume that a CUDA device allows up to 8 blocks and 1024 threads per SM, whichever becomes a limitation first. Furthermore, it allows up to 512 threads in each block. For image blur, should we use 8 × 8, 16 × 16, or 32 × 32 thread blocks?

2 Lecture Tech Limitations

  1. I want to project stuff and run programs during the class. Maybe even record the lectures.

  2. If I project my ipad, I can project anything on its screen, like goodnotes and firefox. However it's hard to ssh to parallel, and webex doesn't want to record the screen. The ipad is not a full multiprocessing OS, perhaps to avoid taking customers from the macbook.

  3. If I project my linux thinkpad x12, I can also project anything on its screen, including ssh to parallel. However the projector forces the thinkpad's display to a different resolution that the touchscreen doesn't understand. Where I touch the screen with my stylus is not where the mark is made on the display. That makes writing legibly impossible.

    Webex can also broadcast and (usually) record the x12 screen.

  4. When lecturing from home, I use a p73 thinkpad with an NVidia GPU that can remotely display the ipad as another window with uxplay. Then I write on the ipad, and firefox and ssh from the thinkpad, while webex broadcasts the thinkpad. That all works until something crashes (usually in the middle of a lecture).

  5. Uxplay doesn't work on the x12 probably because it has integrated graphics.

  6. Long time ago, RPI's classrooms had blackboards on every available wall, so the prof could move from blackboard to blackboard. The only tech problem was that the chalk was messy. Also recording was by the students writing in their notebooks.

  7. At one time, the classrooms had transparency projectors with rolls of plastic. We wrote on them and rolled them up. For several years, I had the TAs xerox the marked up roll so I had a copy.

  8. At another time I wrote on individual plastic sheets on the transparency projector. Those were easier to xerox.

  9. I'm still thinking of other solutions. Suggestions are welcome.