The National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)
Parallel Applications Development Environment
(PADE)
User's Manual

What is PADE?
PADE is a flexible, customizable environment for developing parallel applications that use the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) message-passing library. It provides an integrated framework for all phases of development of a message-passing parallel application: editing, compilation, execution, and performance monitoring and enhancement. The PADE package consists of an intuitive graphical user interface, a suite of PVM utilities, and extensive documentation in PostScript, ASCII, and HTML formats.

How to get PADE
via the World-Wide-Web:
http://physics.nist.gov/ResOpp/hpcc/pade.html
is PADE home page, upon which current information will be maintained. This is the recommended approach to the ftp archive.
by anonymous ftp:
ftp://gams.nist.gov/pub/pade/
contains the release of PADE corresponding to this manual, as a file named nist_pade.1.0.x.tar.gz. The integer x denotes the number of updates to the original 1.0.0 release. No new features will be added in any of these updates. New features will be added only in future major releases. New major releases will be numbered 1.2, 1.4,... and each will be accompanied with a new version of this manual.
by electronic mail: pade@cam.nist.gov
is the email address for questions and comments about the use of PADE. Bug reports may be sent here as well.

How to use this manual
This manual is intended to provide a comprehensive description of PADE, from design concept through implementation, which should enable the user to perform actions ranging from simple operation of the program to modification of its source code.

However, most users who want to use PADE as a development tool need not read this manual in a systematic way. Operation of PADE via the graphical interface should be relatively intuitive, so users in locations where PADE has already been installed may wish to start by running the tutorial of Chap. 4. This exercise uses one of the elementary example programs provided in the PVM package, and thus may offer an easy inroad to PVM usage by the novice. Chap. 5 can be used as a reference for any button, menu, or window encountered during use.

Those working at sites where PADE has not yet been installed can install it following the directions given in Section 2.5. No special system privileges are required, though certain other programs, described in Chap. 2, must also run on the machine that runs PADE. None of the programs that are essential for PADE to run require root privileges, however.

Pronounciation of the acronym
Some eminent scientists sprinkle their speech with foreign or foreign-sounding phrases, and in emulation of this practice we have adopted a pronunciation of PADE (``pah-DAY'') that incidentally honors the French mathematician Henri Padé (1863-1953). This is to be understood as the default value of a preference that may be configured by the user, like many other features of PADE. However, those who telephone NIST to ask how they can get paid may engender a misunderstanding.

Usage license
The PADE software and its documentation have been produced as part of work done by the U.S. Government, and are not subject to U.S. copyright.