The roadmap for developers wanting to maximize their applications for multi-core architecture using Visual Studio 2010.

Your CPU meter shows a problem. One core is running at 100 percent, but all the other cores are idle. Your application is CPU-bound, but you are using only a fraction of the computing power of your multicore system. Is there a way to get better performance? The answer, in a nutshell, is parallel programming. Where you once would have written the kind of sequential code that is familiar to all programmers, you now find that this no longer meets your performance goals. To use your system’s CPU resources efficiently, you need to split your application into pieces that can run at the same time. Of course, this is easier said than done. Parallel programming has a reputation for being the domain of experts and a minefield of subtle, hard-to-reproduce software defects. Everyone seems to have a favorite story about a parallel program that did not behave as expected because of a mysterious bug. These stories should inspire a healthy respect for the difficulty of the problems you will face in writing your own parallel programs. Fortunately, help has arrived. The Parallel Patterns Library (PPL) and the Asynchronous Agents Library introduce a new programming model for parallelism that significantly simplifies the job. Behind the scenes are sophisticated algorithms that dynamically distribute computations on multicore architectures. In addition, Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2010 developmentsystem includes debugging and analysis tools to support the new parallel programming model. Proven design patterns are another source of help. This guide introduces you to the most important and frequently used patterns of parallel programming and provides executable code samples for them, using PPL. When thinking about where to begin, a good place to start is to review the patterns in this book. See if your problem has any attributes that match the six patterns presented in the following chapters. If it does, delve more deeply into the relevant pattern or patterns and study the sample code.

The CPU meter shows the problem. One core is running at 100 percent, but all the other cores are idle. Your application is CPU-bound, but you are using only a fraction of the computing power of your multicore system. What next? The answer, in a nutshell, is parallel programming. Where you once would have written the kind of sequential code that is familiar to all programmers, you now find that this no longer meets your performance goals. To use your system's CPU resources efficiently, you need to split your application into pieces that can run at the same time. This is easier said than done. Parallel programming has a reputation for being the domain of experts and a minefield of subtle, hard-to-reproduce software defects. Everyone seems to have a favorite story about a parallel program that did not behave as expected because of a mysterious bug. These stories should inspire a healthy respect for the difficulty of the problems you face in writing your own parallel programs. Fortunately, help has arrived. Microsoft Visual Studio(R) 2010 introduces a new programming model for parallelism that significantly simplifies the job. Behind the scenes are supporting libraries with sophisticated algorithms that dynamically distribute computations on multicore architectures. Proven design patterns are another source of help. A Guide to Parallel Programming introduces you to the most important and frequently used patterns of parallel programming and gives executable code samples for them, using the Task Parallel Library (TPL) and Parallel LINQ (PLINQ).

Expert guidance for those programming today’s dual-core processors PCs As PC processors explode from one or two to now eight processors, there is an urgent need for programmers to master concurrent programming. This book dives deep into the latest technologies available to programmers for creating professional parallel applications using C#, .NET 4, and Visual Studio 2010. The book covers task-based programming, coordination data structures, PLINQ, thread pools, asynchronous programming model, and more. It also teaches other parallel programming techniques, such as SIMD and vectorization. Teaches programmers professional-level, task-based, parallel programming with C#, .NET 4, and Visual Studio 2010 Covers concurrent collections, coordinated data structures, PLINQ, thread pools, asynchronous programming model, Visual Studio 2010 debugging, and parallel testing and tuning Explores vectorization, SIMD instructions, and additional parallel libraries Master the tools and technology you need to develop thread-safe concurrent applications for multi-core systems, with Professional Parallel Programming with C#.

This end-to-end deep dive into Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional will help working developers squeeze maximum productivity out of Visual Studio 2010’s extraordinarily rich toolbox, whether they are writing code for the Web, Windows, Silverlight, or Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing environment. The authors combine authoritative and detailed information about Microsoft’s latest IDE, with extensive insights and best practices drawn from decades of development experience. Developers will learn how to use Visual Studio 2010 Professional to take full advantage of the entire .NET platform, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) for rich client development, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) for building dynamic service-oriented solutions, and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) for structured programming around business processes. The authors also present extensive new coverage of Microsoft’s powerful new tools for unit testing, application instrumentation, and code analysis. By focusing entirely on Visual Studio 2010 Professional, the authors have gone deeper into Microsoft’s core product than ever before. Throughout, their focus is relentlessly practical: how to apply Microsoft’s tools to build better software, faster. Detailed information on how to... Work with solutions, projects, browsers, explorers, editors, and designers Write better macros, add-ins, and wizards Save more time with Visual Studio 2010’s updated productivity tools Instrument, analyze, and test your software Refactor code for greater robustness, maintainability, and performance Share code with team members and the larger community Write powerful ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, and Silverlight web applications Implement robust service oriented architecture (SOA)–based applications Efficiently consume services with WCF Write advanced Windows applications with Windows Forms and WPF Construct data-centric applications with LINQ and Entity Framework Create and host workflow-based applications with WF Write applications for the Azure cloud Extend Visual Studio with the new Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF) and the Automation Object Model Build better object-oriented VB or C# software, and use new dynamic language features

Presents a guide to the parallel programming techniques of Microsoft Visual Studio, covering such topics as task paralellism, PLINQ, concurrent collections, customization, and debugging.