Managing invocation of tasks

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having software stored thereon, the software including instructions for causing a parallel computing system to:

• store a graph-based program specification including a plurality of components corresponding to tasks and links between ports of the components, at least some of the plurality of components each having at least one of:
• (1) at least one input port for receiving a collection of data elements to be processed by a corresponding task, or
• (2) at least one collection output port for providing a collection of data elements to be processed by a task corresponding to a component linked to the collection output port;
• and
• execute a program specified by the graph-based program specification, the executing including
• receiving two or more data elements of a particular collection of data elements in a first order via a link connected to a collection type output port of a first component of the plurality of components and an input port of a second component of the plurality of components, and
• instantiating a plurality of runners as processes or process threads in the multiple processor computing system with at least some of the runners being configured for concurrent execution, and invoking a plurality of instances of a task corresponding to the second component, wherein invoking each instance of a task includes executing said instance in the context of a runner of the plurality of runners, including invoking each instance of the plurality of instances to begin processing a particular received data element of the particular collection of data elements in response to receiving that particular received data element, and including invoking the instances in a second order, without blocking invocation of any of the instances for any particular instance to begin or complete processing one or more data elements,
• wherein the second order is different from the first order.

A computing system including:

• a data storage system for storing a graph-based program specification including a plurality of components corresponding to tasks and links between ports of the components, at least some of the plurality of components each having at least one of:
• (1) at least one input port for receiving a collection of data elements to be processed by a corresponding task, or
• (2) at least one collection output port for providing a collection of data elements to be processed by a task corresponding to a component linked to the collection output port;
• and
• at least one processor configured to execute a program specified by the graph-based program specification, the executing including
• receiving two or more data elements of a particular collection of data elements in a first order via a link connected to a collection type output port of a first component of the plurality of components and an input port of a second component of the plurality of components, and
• instantiating a plurality of runners as processes or process threads in the multiple processor computing system with at least some of the runners being configured for concurrent execution, and invoking a plurality of instances of a task corresponding to the second component, wherein invoking each instance of a task includes executing said instance in the context of a runner of the plurality of runners, including invoking each instance of the plurality of instances to begin processing a particular received data element of the particular collection of data elements in response to receiving that particular received data element, and including invoking the instances in a second order, without blocking invocation of any of the instances for any particular instance to begin or complete processing one or more data elements,
• wherein the second order is different from the first order.

A computing system including:

• means for storing a graph-based program specification including a plurality of components corresponding to tasks and links between ports of the components, at least some of the plurality of components each having at least one of:
• (1) at least one input port for receiving a collection of data elements to be processed by a corresponding task, or
• (2) at least one collection output port for providing a collection of data elements to be processed by a task corresponding to a component linked to the collection output port;
• and
• means for executing a program specified by the graph, the executing including
• receiving two or more data elements of a particular collection of data elements in a first order via a link connected to a collection type output port of a first component of the plurality of components and an input port of a second component of the plurality of components, and
• instantiating a plurality of runners as processes or process threads in the multiple processor computing system with at least some of the runners being configured for concurrent execution, and invoking a plurality of instances of a task corresponding to the second component, wherein invoking each instance of a task includes executing said instance in the context of a runner of the plurality of runners, including invoking each instance of the plurality of instances to begin processing a particular received data element of the particular collection of data elements in response to receiving that particular received data element, and including invoking the instances in a second order, without blocking invocation of any of the instances for any particular instance to begin or complete processing one or more data elements,
• wherein the second order is different from the first order.