HPC/VORX: a local area multicomputer system

Gaglianello, Robert D.; Robinson, B.S.; Lindström, Tomas; Sampieri, E.E.

doi:10.1109/icdcs.1989.37987

Cited by 19 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Since most Nectar hosts are workstations, we focus our discussion on workstation hosts. The advantage of switch-based networks (such as Autonet [52], HPC [24], S3.mp [50], Nectar and ATM networks [21]), compared with LANs based on a shared medium (such as Ethernet, token ring, or FDDI), is that for the same link technology, the aggregate bandwidth is much higher, since each attached computer has an exclusive link to the switch and can communicate with other systems attached to the same switch at the full bandwidth of the link.…”

Section: High-performance Network As a Multicomputer Interconnectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Steenkiste

1996

IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst.

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Multicomputers built around a general network are an attractive architecture for a wide class of applications. The architecture provides many benefits compared with special-purpose approaches, including heterogeneity, reuse of application and system code, and sharing of resources. The architecture also poses new challenges to both computer system implementors and users. First, traditional local-area networks do not have enough bandwidth and create a communication bottleneck, thus seriously limiting the set of applications that can be run effectively. Second, programmers have to deal with large bodies of code distributed over a variety of architectures, and work in an environment where both the network and nodes are shared with other users. Our experience in the Nectar project shows that it is possible to overcome these problems. We show how networks based on high-speed crossbar switches and efficient protocol implementations can support high bandwidth and low latency communication while still enjoying the flexibility of general networks, and we use three applications to demonstrate that network-based multicomputers are a practical architecture. We also show how the network traffic generated by this new class of applications poses severe requirements for networks.

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Section: High-performance Network As a Multicomputer Interconnectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Steenkiste

1996

IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst.

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“…As more computers are attached to the medium, the bandwidth available to each computer is reduced and the communication latency is increased. On the other hand, LANs based on high-speed switches (such as Autonet [22], HPC [13] and Nectar) do meet the bandwidth and latency requirements of a multicomputers. In such LANs, each attached computer has an exclusive link to a local switch and can communicate with other computers on the same switch at the full bandwidth of the link.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network-based multicomputers

Kung

Sansom

Schlick

et al. 1991

Proceedings of the 1991 ACM/IEEE Conference on Supercomputing - Supercomputing '91

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Multicomputersbuiltaround a general network are now a viable alternative to multicomputersbased on a system-speci~c interconnect because of architectural improvements in two areas. First, the host-network interface overhead can be minimized by reducing copy operations and host interrupts. Second, the network can provide high bandwidth and low latency by using high-speed crossbar switches and efficient protocol implementations.While still enjoying thejexibility of general networks, the resulting network-based multicomputers achieve high performance for typical multicomputer applications that use system-specijic interconnects. We have developed a network-based mtdticomputer called Nectar that supports these claims.This paper argues that it is feasible to build highperformance network-based multicomputers that use general networks instead of system-specific interconnects. Such a multicomputer is able to use em"sting hosts, including workstations and special-purpose processors, as its processors. While enjoying a high degree of flexibility, the underlying network can have performance comparable to that of a dedicated interconnect. This is true both for large messages,where bandwidth is important, and for small messages, where software overhead is typically the limiting factor. As a result, the types of applications that run on existing mult.icomputers also run efficiently on network-based multicomputers. At the same time, network-based multicomputers are able to take advantage of rapid advances in network and processor technology.The Nectar project is one of the fist attempts to build a high-performance network-based multicomputer. Nectar is composed of a high-bandwidth crosspoint network and dedicated network coproeessors. A prototype system using 100 Mb/s (megabits per seeond) links has been operational since early 1989. The system has currently 26 hosts, including a connection to a CRAY Y-MP via a 26 kilometer singlemode fiber link. The Nectar prototype has been used as a vehicle to study architectural issues in network-based multicomputers and high-speed networks. This paper is based on insights and experiences gained from the Nectar prototype.To further pursue our ideas, we are collaborating with an industrial partner (Network Systems Corporation) to develop a gigabit Nectar system capable of sustaining gigabit per second end-to-end communication.This new system will support the 800 Mb/s HIPPI (High-Performance Parallel Interface) ANSI standard, and will also have a SONET/ATM 664

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“…Segundo Meglicki [2004] ao redor dos anos 80 o surgimento de algumas máquinas com muitos processadores (como o N-cube) impulsionou o desenvolvimento de bibliotecas de apoio ao paralelismo. Alguns esforços foram específicos para arquiteturas proprietárias (como a do próprio N-cube), e outros foram para redes de estações de trabalho UNIX, como a biblioteca P4 de Argonne National Laboratory (Butler e Lusk [1994]) e sua interface Fortran PARMACS da Gesellschaft für und Datenverarbeitung mbH e descrita em Hempel [1991], PICL () descrita em Geist et al [1990] e PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) de Oak Ridge National Laboratory, descrita em Sunderam et al [1994], e a biblioteca de passagem de mensagens LAM (Local Area Multicomputer ) de Ohio Supercomputer Center, descrita em Gaglianello et al [1989].…”

Section: Revisão Bibliográficaunclassified

Análise de benefícios do paralelismo por comunicação unilateral em aplicações com grades não estruturadas

Lopes¹

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HPC/VORX: a local area multicomputer system

Cited by 19 publications

References 12 publications

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Network-based multicomputers: a practical supercomputer architecture

Network-based multicomputers

Análise de benefícios do paralelismo por comunicação unilateral em aplicações com grades não estruturadas

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