The Parallel BGL: A Generic Library for Distributed Graph Computations

This paper presents the Parallel BGL, a generic C++ library for distributed graph computation. Like the sequential Boost Graph Library (BGL) upon which it is based, the Parallel BGL applies the paradigm of generic programming to the domain of graph computations. Emphasizing efficient generic algorithms and the use of concepts to specify the requirements on type parameters, the Parallel BGL also provides flexible supporting data structures such as distributed adjacency lists and external property maps. The generic programming approach simultaneously stresses flexibility and efficiency, resulting in a parallel graph library that can adapt to various data structures and communication models while retaining the efficiency of equivalent hand-coded programs. Performance data for selected algorithms are provided demonstrating the efficiency and scalability of the Parallel BGL.