Parallel context

[ammu]

hi,
could you tell me what is the exact difference between Parallel network manager and parallel context? I am not clear with the explanations for the parallel context in the programmers reference.

thanks,
ammu

[ted]

ParallelContext is a class that enables properly written code to execute on parallel hardware. ParallelNetManager is a "helper class" for ParallelContext that was initially intended as a way to facilitate construction and use of network models that could be executed on parallel hardware. Although some model implementations have indeed used ParallelNetManager, it has turned out in practice to be just as easy, if not easier, to use the ParallelContext class by itself to construct and use models that execute on parallel hardware--for a couple of examples, see
Hines, M.L. and Carnevale, N.T.
Translating network models to parallel hardware in NEURON.
J. Neurosci. Methods 169:425-455, 2008
(available from http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/nrnpubs, code downloadable from ModelDB https://senselab.med.yale.edu/modeldb/ via accession number 96444)