Flexible, Scalable Mesh and Data Management using PETSc DMPlex
Michael Lange, Imperial College London
Scalable file I/O and efficient domain topology management present important challenges for many scientific applications if they are to fully utilise HPC resources. The use of composable abstractions allows a wide variety of application codes to utilise a range of mesh file formats while automatically inheriting the benefits of well-known performance optimisations.
In this talk we give an overview of PETSc's DMPlex domain topology abstraction and it's recent integration with the Fluidity CFD application and the Firedrake automated finite element system. We highlight how both applications utilise DMPlex's mesh management capabilities to perform common mesh management tasks and data layout optimisation, while promoting application interoperability through shared file I/O routines.
