HPC-in-Containers: A Containerized Parallel Environment for Parallel Programming Learning Using Docker

This paper presents HPC-in-Containers, a novel containerized parallel computing environment using Docker. It is designed to facilitate learning parallel programming concepts, where users do not have to deploy a multicomputer infrastructure. Instead, they can use their desktop and laptop to easily have a multicomputer environment by utilizing containerization on the multi-core CPU. The environment offers a comprehensive platform for exploring various parallel programming paradigms, including distributed memory parallelism, shared memory parallelism, and hybrid approaches. We include source code samples for each paradigm to demonstrate its capabilities: parallel multicomputer implementations using MPI, parallel thread implementations for single computers using OpenMP, and hybrid parallelization techniques combining both MPI and OpenMP. Furthermore, to enhance user interaction and ease of use, the Docker image incorporates a Jupyter Notebook interface with a C interpreter, allowing users to write, execute, and visualize parallel code through a web browser. This feature makes HPC-in-Containers particularly suitable for educational settings, enabling students to experiment with parallel programming concepts in a controlled, reproducible environment. Our work contributes to the field of parallel computing education by providing a flexible, scalable, and easily deployable platform that bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and practical implementation. It offers a valuable resource for educators, students, and researchers seeking to explore and master the intricacies of parallel programming in a containerized setting.