Method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for developing and executing data flow programs, and optimizing user input specifications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide a development tool that enables computer programmers to design and develop a data flow program for execution in a multiprocessor computer system. The tool displays an interface that enables the programmer to define a region divided into multiple blocks, wherein each block is formed of a set of values associated with a function, and to define sets of the blocks, each block in a set having a state reflected by a designated portion of the program that when executed transforms the values forming the block based on the function. The interface also records any dependencies among the blocks, each dependency indicating a relationship between two blocks and requiring the portion of the program associated with a first block of the relationship to be executed before the portion of the program associated with a second block of the relationship. It further provides an efficient manner for a user to record dependencies between sets of multiple blocks. The interface also records the assignment of blocks to distribution groups that determine how the blocks are processed in parallel, thereby allowing different parallel processing schemes to be used during execution. After program development, blocks are selected for execution of the corresponding, designated portions of the program based on the recorded dependencies and distribution groups.