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Contention is no obstacle to shared-memory multiprocessing

Journal Article · · Commun. ACM; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/7902.7905· OSTI ID:5576149
Shared-memory multiprocessors offer many advantages - including ease of programming and high performance - that result from the tight coupling along the critical path between processors and memories. However, as the number of processors scales up, the trade-off for these benefits is contention, a natural consequence of sharing, and as a result the feasibility of large-scale shared-memory machines has come into question. In this article, the authors demonstrate the viability of several engineering approaches for controlling contention while preserving overall system balance and examine the decisions taken and results achieved with the Butterfly computer, a large-scale shared-memory parallel processor. In particular, they look closely at engineering decisions made at several important points; the path used to interconnect processors to memory, the memory module, and the memory location.
OSTI ID:
5576149
Journal Information:
Commun. ACM; (United States), Journal Name: Commun. ACM; (United States) Vol. 29:12; ISSN CACMA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English