[Mpi-forum] Reserved MPI_ prefix & namespace in C and Fortran

Fri Aug 24 11:38:57 CDT 2012

I'm not a C++ expert but my understanding is that "MPI_"
is not all that you want reserved there. I think you also
what to reserve "MPI::". Does it matter?

On Fri, 24 Aug 2012, Rolf Rabenseifner wrote:

> Bill,
>
> good idea. I try it; what about
>
> C:
>>>   "Programs must not declare
>       names (identifiers), e.g., for variables, functions, constants,
>       macros, types, or namespaces,
>>>    beginning with the prefix MPI_."
>
> Fortran:
>>>   "Programs must not declare
>       names, e.g., for variables, parameters, functions,
>       derived types, or abstract interfaces,
>>>    beginning with the prefix MPI_.
>
> Rolf
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "William Gropp" <wgropp at illinois.edu>
>> To: "Main MPI Forum mailing list" <mpi-forum at lists.mpi-forum.org>
>> Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 6:05:38 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Mpi-forum] Reserved MPI_ prefix & namespace in C and Fortran
>> The intent of the Forum has always been that all names that begin with
>> MPI_ or PMPI_, and the MPI namespace, are reserved for MPI. The
>> mistake (a common one) was to attempt to enumerate all of the items to
>> which this applies. Rather than attempt to cover everything, I would
>> prefer changing the text to match the indent; it can mention specific
>> categories as examples but should not attempt to list them, as this is
>> always error prone.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>> William Gropp
>> Director, Parallel Computing Institute
>> Deputy Director for Research
>> Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies
>> Paul and Cynthia Saylor Professor of Computer Science
>> University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
>>
>>
>>
>> On Aug 24, 2012, at 10:31 AM, Rolf Rabenseifner wrote:
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> Jeremiah detected a very old inconsistency in the MPI standard:
>>>
>>>> On page 19 line 14, the restriction on use of MPI_* names should
>>>> also
>>>> apply to preprocessor macros, namespaces in C++, types, and other
>>>> things.
>>>
>>> In MPI-2.2, it was page 18, lines 15-16:
>>>
>>>   "Programs must not declare variables or functions
>>>    with names beginning with the prefix MPI_."
>>>
>>> Together with MPI-2.2 p4:26
>>>
>>>   "Any correct MPI-2.1 program is a correct MPI-2.2 program."
>>>
>>> and the new constant declaration on p258:17: MPI_DIST_GRAPH,
>>> the implication is that the MPI standard is inconsistent.
>>>
>>> The solution is very simple, an MPI-2 errata ticket changing
>>> MPI-2.2, lines 15-16 into (addition marked with {...}):
>>>
>>>   "Programs must not declare variables, functions,
>>>    { constants, macros, types, or namespaces }
>>>    with names beginning with the prefix MPI_."
>>>
>>> And for Fortran on p17:41-42 (addition marked with {...}):
>>>
>>>   "Programs must not declare variables, parameters, functions,
>>>    { derived types, or abstract interfaces }
>>>    with names beginning with the prefix MPI_.
>>>
>>> It should be a single reading+vote errata ticket, because it does
>>> not change the standard, it only makes it obvious.
>>> The reservation was in MPI-2.1 in fact already there through the
>>> sentence
>>>
>>>   "Any correct MPI-2.1 program is a correct MPI-2.2 program."
>>>
>>> because nobody could foresee, which new things we will
>>> have added to MPI-2.2.
>>>
>>> Details are in ticket
>>> https://svn.mpi-forum.org/trac/mpi-forum-web/ticket/343
>>>
>>> And see markups ticket0.343 on page 11 in
>>> https://svn.mpi-forum.org/trac/mpi-forum-web/attachment/ticket/343/ticket0.343-terms-2.pdf
>>>
>>> I hope that there is a broad consensus
>>> to solve this inconsistency.
>>>
>>> Best regards
>>> Rolf
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Jeremiah Willcock" <jewillco at osl.iu.edu>
>>>> To: mpi-comments at mpi-forum.org
>>>> Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 2:13:41 AM
>>>> Subject: [Mpi-comments] Comments on MPI 3.0 draft 2
>>>> These are in reference to the draft at
>>>> <URL:http://meetings.mpi-forum.org/mpi3.0_draft_2.pdf>. Thank you
>>>> for
>>>> considering them.
>>>>
>>>> -- Jeremiah Willcock
>>> ...
>>>> On page 19 line 14, the restriction on use of MPI_* names should
>>>> also
>>>> apply to preprocessor macros, namespaces in C++, types, and other
>>>> things.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Dr. Rolf Rabenseifner . . . . . . . . . .. email
>>> rabenseifner at hlrs.de
>>> High Performance Computing Center (HLRS) . phone
>>> ++49(0)711/685-65530
>>> University of Stuttgart . . . . . . . . .. fax ++49(0)711 /
>>> 685-65832
>>> Head of Dpmt Parallel Computing . . .
>>> www.hlrs.de/people/rabenseifner
>>> Nobelstr. 19, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany . (Office: Allmandring 30)
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> mpi-forum mailing list
>>> mpi-forum at lists.mpi-forum.org
>>> http://lists.mpi-forum.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/mpi-forum
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
> -- 
> Dr. Rolf Rabenseifner . . . . . . . . . .. email rabenseifner at hlrs.de
> High Performance Computing Center (HLRS) . phone ++49(0)711/685-65530
> University of Stuttgart . . . . . . . . .. fax ++49(0)711 / 685-65832
> Head of Dpmt Parallel Computing . . . www.hlrs.de/people/rabenseifner
> Nobelstr. 19, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany . (Office: Allmandring 30)
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