The aim of this short guide is to get you started with using matlab in a multi-processor environment. The goal is to instruct matlab to use a `pool' of n processors rather than a single one to speed up calculations.

Before trying to parallelize any codes, please make sure your code works as expected on one processor.

matlab versions prior to 2007 do not have the features discussed here.

matlabpool can be used to parallelize your m script across multiple cores in a single machine.

Open matlab and initialize the parallel environment

matlab -nodesktop

>>  matlabpool ( 'open', 'local', 8)                                    
Starting matlabpool using the 'local' configuration ... connected to 8 labs.
>> p=findResource('scheduler', 'configuration', 'local');    
 
p =

Local Scheduler Information
===========================

                      Type : local
             ClusterOsType : unix
               ClusterSize : 8
              DataLocation : /home/lenocil/.matlab/local_scheduler_data/R2010b
       HasSharedFilesystem : true

- Assigned Jobs

           Number Pending  : 0
           Number Queued   : 0
           Number Running  : 1
           Number Finished : 0

- Local Specific Properties

         ClusterMatlabRoot : /software/matlab/matlab-R2010b

The matlabpool cmd instructs matlab that you intend to run your program in on multiple processors. In the example above you are using a parallel environment called `local' (this is usually the default. See below on how to change its properties or create a custom one.) requesting 8 processors. `local' allocates resources that can be listed using the cmd findResource.

At this point you can start programming in matlab as usual. To make sure you can fully utilize the resources that matlabpool allocates, do not forget to write your loops using parfor. Once finished remember to close matlabpool

matlabpool('open',4); % opens the default parallel environment, usually called `local'
parfor k = 1 : 100000
    some code
end
matlabpool close % release the resources