[ADMB Users] Benchmarks

[Arni Magnusson]

Two new bits of information:

1. I have now added linux32 to the benchmarks. Its performance is 
slightly behind linux64, but considerably better than win32.

   12 linux64-gcc346-9065, compiled with gcc424
   14 linux32-gcc412-9065, compiled with gcc412
   19 win32-gcc345-90652, compiled with gcc345
   20 win32-gcc432-802, compiled with gcc421
   24 win32-vc6-501, compiled with vc6
   32 win32-bcc551-9065, compiled with bcc551
   38 win32-bcc52-502, compiled with bcc52
   38 win32-gcc295-501, compiled with gcc2952

2. ADMB executables perform equally fast when running on a Linux Live 
CD, as they do on a fully installed Linux. Therefore, a modeller can 
develop and compile a model on his/her Linux machine, copy the 
executable and input files to a USB stick, and then run the model on a 
large number of diverse PCs without installing Linux permanently on the 
machines. A Linux Live CD leaves no trace on the hard drive after 
rebooting.

This is a typical scenario in many scientific workplaces today, where a 
modeller works on a dual boot machine, and has access to many Windows 
machines for running models overnight or longer. The benchmarks above 
show that PCs can do 58% more work when running on a Linux Live CD 
rather than Windows XP.

I tested this using the Kubuntu 8.04 Live CD, both the 32 and 64 bit 
versions, but any Linux Live CD should do. Alas, the Kubuntu Live CDs do 
not include g++, so it is not possible to compile new ADMB executables. 
Instead, I copied the executable and input files from another machine 
using a USB stick.

This LiveCD-USB approach is not relevant for those who are as lucky as 
me, working on a network with dozens of Linux machines, but can save 
computation time in many situations.

Arni