D5.6: Extended best practice guide for prototypes and demonstrators

Prototyping is an integral part of the HPC design process that assists in detecting and resolving any issues related to the use of new concepts and technologies. In general, the prototyping of HPC systems has the following objectives:

• to test and refine the functionality of a given HPC design and enable a better understanding of its purpose;
• to save time and costs by empowering the possibility of early influencing design changes;
• to assess the usefulness and applicability of new technologies and design approaches; and last but foremost
• to address the requirements of current user communities of HPC centres in an efficient way by gaining inputs and insights regarding the usage of the production system.

This best practice guide aims to deliver information and guidance useful for the evaluation of prototype HPC systems with regard to their usability and fit for purpose. For achieving this goal, this document extends the previously developed (by PRACE-4IP WP5) best practice guide to include guidelines on: (i) a set of benchmarks most suitable for HPC prototyping; and (ii) a set of system and development tools that are currently used by PRACE Tier-0/Tier-1 sites for HPC prototype evaluation, while reflecting on existing co-design opportunities.
The guide’s intended audience is prototype and/or demonstrator owners for testing on actual HPC prototypes and demonstrators stemming from EU-funded projects such as MontBlanc, DEEP/DEEP-ER/DEEP-EST, or future Pre-Commercial Procurements (PCP) on HPC. It could also prove useful for FET-HPC technological projects, and also for communities represented within Centers of Excellence (CoEs), providing both groups with some best practice for the assessment of prototypes and demonstrators, useful for the system design as well as for early and customized tests of system usability by thematic communities.
This best practice guide has been designed taking into account the current race to Exascale, with the goal of providing valuable input for the activity of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.