Executing Multiple Instructions Multiple Data ('MIMD') Programs on a Single Instruction Multiple Data ('SIMD') Machine

Apparatus for executing Multiple Instructions Multiple Data (‘MIMD’) programs on a Single Instruction Multiple Data (‘SIMD’) machine, the SIMD machine comprising a plurality of compute nodes, each compute node capable of executing only a single thread of execution, the compute nodes initially configured exclusively for SIMD operations, the SIMD machine further comprising a data communications network, the network comprising synchronous data communications links among the compute nodes, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

• establishing on the SIMD machine a plurality of SIMD partitions, each SIMD partition comprising a plurality of the compute nodes, the compute nodes in each SIMD partition electronically isolated from compute nodes in other partitions of the SIMD machine and coupled to one another through links of the network for synchronous data communications for parallel SIMD operations among the compute nodes in each SIMD partition;
• booting a first SIMD partition in MIMD mode;
• executing, on a compute node of the first SIMD partition booted in MIMD mode, a MIMD accelerator program;
• executing a SIMD program in a second SIMD partition, one instance of the SIMD program executing on each compute node of the second SIMD partition, each instance of the SIMD program carrying out a portion of the data processing effected by the SIMD program;
• and
• accelerating, by an instance of the SIMD program through the MIMD accelerator program, a portion of the data processing of the instance of the SIMD program.

A computer program product for executing Multiple Instructions Multiple Data (‘MIMD’) programs on a Single Instruction Multiple Data (‘SIMD’) machine, the SIMD machine comprising a plurality of compute nodes, each compute node capable of executing only a single thread of execution, the compute nodes initially configured exclusively for SIMD operations, the SIMD machine further comprising a data communications network, the network comprising synchronous data communications links among the compute nodes, the computer program product disposed in a computer readable, signal bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

• establishing on the SIMD machine a plurality of SIMD partitions, each SIMD partition comprising a plurality of the compute nodes, the compute nodes in each SIMD partition electronically isolated from compute nodes in other partitions of the SIMD machine and coupled to one another through links of the network for synchronous data communications for parallel SIMD operations among the compute nodes in each SIMD partition;
• booting a first SIMD partition in MIMD mode;
• executing, on a compute node of the first SIMD partition booted in MIMD mode, a MIMD accelerator program;
• executing a SIMD program in a second SIMD partition, one instance of the SIMD program executing on each compute node of the second SIMD partition, each instance of the SIMD program carrying out a portion of the data processing effected by the SIMD program;
• and
• accelerating, by an instance of the SIMD program through the MIMD accelerator program, a portion of the data processing of the instance of the SIMD program.