PASM parallel processing system: Hardware design and operating system concepts

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5575721

Schwederski, T

Since circuit switching speeds are reaching fundamental limits, avenues to speed up computations other than that using faster components are being explored. PASM is a dynamically reconfigurable SIMD/MIMD parallel processing system design for up to 1024 processing elements (PEs). It can be dynamically reconfigured to work as one or more SIMD (single instruction stream - multiple data stream) and/or MIMD (multiple instruction stream - multiple data stream) machines. A prototype with 30 MC68000 microprocessors, including 16 PEs in the computational engine, was designed and constructed. The design of the prototype hardware is described, as well as the design tradeoffs that were made. Extending the current prototype by the addition of a Network Interface Unit (NIU) to each PE is proposed. The powerful reconfiguration capabilities of PASM can be fully utilized only if all tradeoffs influencing recongifuration are known. Attributes of the PASM architecture, operating system software, and potential application programs that affect both the cost and advantages of system reconfiguration are investigated. This information can be incorporated in a knowledge base for an Intelligent Operating System that automatically configures and reconfigures the PASM system.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5575721
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990210* -- Supercomputers-- (1987-1989)
ARRAY PROCESSORS
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
COMPUTER NETWORKS
DESIGN
EQUIPMENT INTERFACES
KNOWLEDGE BASE
PARALLEL PROCESSING
PROGRAMMING
STRUCTURAL MODELS