call cuda kernel from c parameters
Calling CUDA Kernel from C with Parameters
To call a CUDA kernel from C with parameters, you need to follow several steps. Here is an explanation of each step:
- Allocate memory on the host: Before calling the CUDA kernel, you need to allocate memory on the host (CPU) for the input and output data that will be passed to and returned from the kernel. You can use the
malloc
function to allocate memory dynamically. For example, to allocate memory for an array of integers:
c
int hostArray = (int)malloc(arraySize * sizeof(int));
Here, arraySize
is the number of elements in the array.
- Allocate memory on the device: After allocating memory on the host, you need to allocate memory on the device (GPU) using the
cudaMalloc
function. This function is used to allocate memory on the GPU. For example, to allocate memory for an array of integers:
c
int* deviceArray;
cudaMalloc((void)&deviceArray, arraySize * sizeof(int));
Here, deviceArray
is a pointer to the allocated memory on the device.
- Copy data from host to device: Once the memory is allocated on the device, you need to copy the input data from the host to the device using the
cudaMemcpy
function. This function is used to transfer data between the host and the device. For example, to copy an array of integers from the host to the device:
c
cudaMemcpy(deviceArray, hostArray, arraySize * sizeof(int), cudaMemcpyHostToDevice);
- Configure the kernel launch: Before launching the CUDA kernel, you need to configure the number of blocks and threads per block. This configuration determines how the GPU will execute the kernel. For example, to configure a kernel launch with 256 threads per block and 512 blocks:
c
dim3 blockSize(256);
dim3 gridSize(512);
Here, blockSize
represents the number of threads per block, and gridSize
represents the number of blocks.
- Launch the CUDA kernel: After configuring the kernel launch, you can launch the CUDA kernel using the
<<<...>>>
syntax. For example, to launch a kernel namedmyKernel
:
c
myKernel<<<gridSize, blockSize>>>(deviceArray);
Here, deviceArray
is passed as a parameter to the kernel.
- Copy data from device to host: After the kernel execution is complete, you need to copy the output data from the device back to the host using the
cudaMemcpy
function. For example, to copy an array of integers from the device to the host:
c
cudaMemcpy(hostArray, deviceArray, arraySize * sizeof(int), cudaMemcpyDeviceToHost);
- Free memory: Finally, you need to free the allocated memory on both the host and the device. Use the
free
function to free the memory on the host, and thecudaFree
function to free the memory on the device. For example:
c
free(hostArray);
cudaFree(deviceArray);
This ensures that the memory is properly deallocated.
Remember to include the necessary CUDA headers and link against the CUDA runtime library when compiling your C code.
I hope this explanation helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.