MS4: Modernizing CFD: Exploring CI/CD for Improved Software Development Life Cycle
Damien Dosimont, Dennis Hoppe, Harald Köstler, and Guillaume Houzeaux
Abstract
This Mini-symposium is co-organized by the European Centers of Excellence CEEC, EXCELLERAT P2, EOCOE3, and HIDALGO 2 supported by the coordination activity CASTIEL 2.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) has evolved into a pivotal methodology, significantly enhancing software development and deployment processes. In Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications, CI/CD plays a crucial role in guaranteeing simulation applications' stability, reproducibility, portability, and performance. This mini-symposium aims to delve into innovative approaches across various stages of the CI/CD pipeline, making substantial contributions to the scientific aspects of CFD applications. We welcome contributions in the following areas:
Builds:
- In-depth discussions on efficient build processes tailored for CFD applications.
- Achieving portability across various compilers, architectures, CPU/GPU configurations, programming standards, code generation, and managing multiple code versions through containerization.
Tests:
- Exploration of advanced testing methodologies designed explicitly for CFD simulations.
- Integration of automated testing frameworks seamlessly into the CI/CD pipeline.
- Addressing challenges associated with large-scale parallel testing.
- Discussion on the integral role of CI/CD in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of simulations.
- Collaboration strategies for testing within interdisciplinary teams.
Deploy:
- Investigation into methods ensuring seamless and reliable deployment of CFD applications.
- Formulation of strategies for versioning and deployment in diverse computing environments.
- Guaranteeing application scalability and adaptability.
Monitor:
- Implementation of monitoring infrastructures and code instrumentation for performance analysis.
- Continuous monitoring methodologies to detect anomalies and enhance overall efficiency.
General:
- Development of strategies for designing modular and maintainable CFD software.
- Presentation of case studies illustrating successful implementations of CI/CD in CFD research groups.
Damien Dosimont - Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Computer Applications in Science and Engineering Department
Dr. Damien Dosimont obtained a BSc in Electronics (2009) and MSc in Computer Science from Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI (2011) and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Université Grenoble-Alpes (2015), done within Inria Rhône-Alpes, in the MOAIS team. He is currently working as a researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center since 2015. His main scientific interests focus on the performance analysis of complex HPC systems through innovative methods based, for instance, on data aggregation and information theory, topics such as I/O optimization, CPU/GPU co-execution, machine learning. He is co-author of 13 international journal and conference papers. He is currently main developper and DevOps leader of the multiphysics simulation code Alya.
Dennis Hoppe - High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, Service Management & Business Processes
Dennis Hoppe leads the Converged Computing group at HLRS that pioneers the integration of AI, Cloud, Edge, and Quantum Computing with HPC, aiming to democratise HPC access, reshape operational models, and foster seamless workflows across diverse computing environments. He is coordinating through CASTIEL 2 the realisation of the EuroHPC CI/CD Pilot Platform and is the technical manager of HiDALGO 2.
Harald Köstler - Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Department of Computer Science
Harald Köstler works at the Department of Computer Science at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and is the head of research at the Erlangen National High Performance Computing Center (NHR@FAU). His research interests are Performance and Software Engineering for High Performance Computing and Data Analytics. The group develops open source HPC software like the multiphysics simulation framework waLBerla with a focus on code generation technology.
Guillauem Houzeaux - Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Computer Applications in Science and Engineering Department
Since 2005, Dr. Guillaume Houzeaux is the leader of the team
”Physical and Numerical Modeling” at Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain. His research focusses on High Performance Computational Mechanics. He is one of the main architects of Alya HPC simulation code, with application in aeronautics, combustion, wind energy and biomedicine.
