MPI_SCATTER_INIT(3)

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💖 MPI_SCATTER_INIT(3) 💖

okay bestie, this is a page from the Open MPI manual, and it's literally about MPI_Scatter, MPI_Iscatter and MPI_Scatter_init — the trio that takes one big pile of data and hands everybody in the group their own lil slice. group-chat energy, but for processes. no cap. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

MPI_Scatter, MPI_Iscatter, MPI_Scatter_init — sends data from one task to all tasks in a group.

(ngl that's the whole vibe. one sender, everybody else receives. it's giving "teacher handing out worksheets." 👑

🌸 SYNTAX 🌸

💅 C Syntax

#include <mpi.h>

int MPI_Scatter(const void *sendbuf, int sendcount, MPI_Datatype sendtype,
     void *recvbuf, int recvcount, MPI_Datatype recvtype, int root,
     MPI_Comm comm)

int MPI_Iscatter(const void *sendbuf, int sendcount, MPI_Datatype sendtype,
     void *recvbuf, int recvcount, MPI_Datatype recvtype, int root,
     MPI_Comm comm, MPI_Request *request)

int MPI_Scatter_init(const void *sendbuf, int sendcount, MPI_Datatype sendtype,
     void *recvbuf, int recvcount, MPI_Datatype recvtype, int root,
     MPI_Comm comm, MPI_Info info, MPI_Request *request)

🦋 Fortran Syntax

USE MPI
! or the older form: INCLUDE 'mpif.h'
MPI_SCATTER(SENDBUF, SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVBUF, RECVCOUNT,
             RECVTYPE, ROOT, COMM, IERROR)
     <type>  SENDBUF(*), RECVBUF(*)
     INTEGER SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVCOUNT, RECVTYPE, ROOT
     INTEGER COMM, IERROR

MPI_ISCATTER(SENDBUF, SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVBUF, RECVCOUNT,
             RECVTYPE, ROOT, COMM, REQUEST, IERROR)
     <type>  SENDBUF(*), RECVBUF(*)
     INTEGER SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVCOUNT, RECVTYPE, ROOT
     INTEGER COMM, REQUEST, IERROR

MPI_SCATTER_INIT(SENDBUF, SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVBUF, RECVCOUNT,
             RECVTYPE, ROOT, COMM, INFO, REQUEST, IERROR)
     <type>  SENDBUF(*), RECVBUF(*)
     INTEGER SENDCOUNT, SENDTYPE, RECVCOUNT, RECVTYPE, ROOT
     INTEGER COMM, INFO, REQUEST, IERROR

🎀 Fortran 2008 Syntax

USE mpi_f08
MPI_Scatter(sendbuf, sendcount, sendtype, recvbuf, recvcount, recvtype,
             root, comm, ierror)
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), INTENT(IN) :: sendbuf
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..) :: recvbuf
     INTEGER, INTENT(IN) :: sendcount, recvcount, root
     TYPE(MPI_Datatype), INTENT(IN) :: sendtype, recvtype
     TYPE(MPI_Comm), INTENT(IN) :: comm
     INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror

MPI_Iscatter(sendbuf, sendcount, sendtype, recvbuf, recvcount, recvtype,
             root, comm, request, ierror)
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), INTENT(IN), ASYNCHRONOUS :: sendbuf
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), ASYNCHRONOUS :: recvbuf
     INTEGER, INTENT(IN) :: sendcount, recvcount, root
     TYPE(MPI_Datatype), INTENT(IN) :: sendtype, recvtype
     TYPE(MPI_Comm), INTENT(IN) :: comm
     TYPE(MPI_Request), INTENT(OUT) :: request
     INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror

MPI_Scatter_init(sendbuf, sendcount, sendtype, recvbuf, recvcount, recvtype,
             root, comm, info, request, ierror)
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), INTENT(IN), ASYNCHRONOUS :: sendbuf
     TYPE(*), DIMENSION(..), ASYNCHRONOUS :: recvbuf
     INTEGER, INTENT(IN) :: sendcount, recvcount, root
     TYPE(MPI_Datatype), INTENT(IN) :: sendtype, recvtype
     TYPE(MPI_Comm), INTENT(IN) :: comm
     TYPE(MPI_Info), INTENT(IN) :: info
     TYPE(MPI_Request), INTENT(OUT) :: request
     INTEGER, OPTIONAL, INTENT(OUT) :: ierror

🍓 INPUT PARAMETERS 🍓

  • sendbuf — address of the send buffer (choice, and it only means anything at the root, ok?). 📤
  • sendcount — number of elements sent to each process (integer, again only significant at root).
  • sendtype — datatype of the send buffer elements (handle, root-only significance, you know the drill).
  • recvcount — number of elements in the receive buffer (integer).
  • recvtype — datatype of the receive buffer elements (handle).
  • root — rank of the sending process (integer). this is the main character ✨
  • comm — communicator (handle).
  • info — info (handle, persistent).

💜 OUTPUT PARAMETERS 💜

  • recvbuf — address of the receive buffer (choice). this is where your slice lands 🎁
  • request — request (handle, non-blocking only).
  • ierror — Fortran only: error status (integer).

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

MPI_Scatter is literally the inverse operation to MPI_Gather. gather collects, scatter distributes. they're the duo. 🤝

The outcome is as if the root executed n send operations,

MPI_Send(sendbuf + i * sendcount * extent(sendtype), sendcount,
         sendtype, i, ...);

and each process executed a receive,

MPI_Recv(recvbuf, recvcount, recvtype, i, ...).;

An alternative way to picture it (and honestly this one ate): the root sends a single message with MPI_Send(sendbuf, sendcount * n, sendtype, ...). That message gets split into n equal segments, the *i*th segment goes to the *i*th process in the group, and each process receives this message as described above. cute, right? 🧚

The send buffer is ignored for all nonroot processes. not their problem, not their business. 💅

The type signature associated with sendcount, sendtype at the root must be equal to the type signature associated with recvcount, recvtype at all processes (however, the type maps may be different). This implies that the amount of data sent must be equal to the amount of data received, pairwise between each process and the root. Distinct type maps between sender and receiver are still allowed. so like — same shape of signature, different layouts, that's fine, that's allowed, live your truth. 🌈

All arguments to the function are significant on process root, while on other processes, only arguments recvbuf, recvcount, recvtype, root, comm are significant. The arguments root and comm must have identical values on all processes. everybody has to agree on who the root is, fr fr.

The specification of counts and types should not cause any location on the root to be read more than once. read-once only, bestie. 👀

Rationale: Though not needed, the last restriction is imposed so as to achieve symmetry with MPI_Gather, where the corresponding restriction (a multiple-write restriction) is necessary.

Example: the reverse of Example 1 in the MPI_Gather manpage. Scatter sets of 100 ints from the root to each process in the group.

MPI_Comm comm;
int gsize,*sendbuf;
int root, rbuf[100];
...
MPI_Comm_size(comm, &gsize);
sendbuf = (int *)malloc(gsize*100*sizeof(int));
...
MPI_Scatter(sendbuf, 100, MPI_INT, rbuf, 100,
            MPI_INT, root, comm);

🌟 USE OF IN-PLACE OPTION 🌟

When the communicator is an intracommunicator, you can perform a scatter operation in-place (the output buffer is used as the input buffer). Use the variable MPI_IN_PLACE as the value of the root process recvbuf. In this case, recvcount and recvtype are ignored, and the root process sends no data to itself. iconic behaviour honestly — root doesn't mail itself a letter. 📬

Note that MPI_IN_PLACE is a special kind of value; it has the same restrictions on its use as MPI_BOTTOM.

Because the in-place option converts the receive buffer into a send-and-receive buffer, a Fortran binding that includes INTENT must mark these as INOUT, not OUT. don't mess this up bestie, the compiler will come for you. 💀

🦄 WHEN COMMUNICATOR IS AN INTER-COMMUNICATOR 🦄

When the communicator is an inter-communicator, the root process in the first group sends data to all processes in the second group. The first group defines the root process. That process uses MPI_ROOT as the value of its root argument. The remaining processes use MPI_PROC_NULL as the value of their root argument. All processes in the second group use the rank of that root process in the first group as the value of their root argument. The receive buffer argument of the root process in the first group must be consistent with the receive buffer argument of the processes in the second group.

so: group one is the sender squad, group two is the receiving squad, and everybody's root argument is doing something slightly different. angle carefully. 🎯

😭 ERRORS 😭

Almost all MPI routines return an error value; C routines as the return result of the function and Fortran routines in the last argument.

Before the error value is returned, the current MPI error handler associated with the communication object (e.g., communicator, window, file) is called. If no communication object is associated with the MPI call, then the call is considered attached to MPI_COMM_SELF and will call the associated MPI error handler. When MPI_COMM_SELF is not initialized (i.e., before MPI_Init/MPI_Init_thread, after MPI_Finalize, or when using the Sessions Model exclusively) the error raises the initial error handler. The initial error handler can be changed by calling MPI_Comm_set_errhandler on MPI_COMM_SELF when using the World model, or the mpi_initial_errhandler CLI argument to mpiexec or info key to MPI_Comm_spawn/MPI_Comm_spawn_multiple. If no other appropriate error handler has been set, then the MPI_ERRORS_RETURN error handler is called for MPI I/O functions and the MPI_ERRORS_ABORT error handler is called for all other MPI functions.

Open MPI includes three predefined error handlers that can be used:

  • MPI_ERRORS_ARE_FATAL — Causes the program to abort all connected MPI processes. dramatic. catastrophic. slay? 💀
  • MPI_ERRORS_ABORT — An error handler that can be invoked on a communicator, window, file, or session. When called on a communicator, it acts as if MPI_Abort was called on that communicator. If called on a window or file, acts as if MPI_Abort was called on a communicator containing the group of processes in the corresponding window or file. If called on a session, aborts only the local process.
  • MPI_ERRORS_RETURN — Returns an error code to the application. the polite one 🫶

MPI applications can also implement their own error handlers by calling:

  • MPI_Comm_create_errhandler then MPI_Comm_set_errhandler
  • MPI_File_create_errhandler then MPI_File_set_errhandler
  • MPI_Session_create_errhandler then MPI_Session_set_errhandler or at MPI_Session_init
  • MPI_Win_create_errhandler then MPI_Win_set_errhandler

Note that MPI does not guarantee that an MPI program can continue past an error. 😬 read that again.

See the MPI man page for a full list of MPI error codes.

See the Error Handling section of the MPI-3.1 standard for more information.

See also:

  • MPI_Scatterv
  • MPI_Gather
  • MPI_Gatherv

2003-2026, The Open MPI Community

and that's the whole page bestie, you ate it 💅✨ no cap, that was the Open MPI MPI_SCATTER_INIT(3) manpage, last touched Sep 10, 2026, brought to you by 2003-2026, The Open MPI Community. go scatter something. 🦋🌸💖

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