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US 5,197,130 AGranted
Cluster architecture for a highly parallel scalar/vector multiprocessor system
AssigneeSupercomputer Systems Limited Partnership
InventorsSteve S. Chen, Frederick J. Simmons, George A. Spix, Jimmie R. Wilson, Edward C. Miller, Roger E. Eckert, Douglas R. Beard
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Abstract
A cluster architecture for a highly parallel multiprocessor computer processing system is comprised of one or more clusters of tightly-coupled, high-speed processors capable of both vector and scalar parallel processing that can symmetrically access shared resources associated with the cluster, as well as the shared resources associated with other clusters.
Claims19
A high parallel computer processing system, comprising:
- C multiprocessor clusters operably connected to one another, where C is an integer between 2 and 256, inclusive, each multiprocessor cluster comprising:
- a shared memory means for physically storing and retrieving data and instructions to be executed by the computer processing system as part of a single common logical address space without duplicate address spaces that includes all of said shared memory means of all of said C multiprocessor clusters;
- P processors means for executing said instructions and directly operating on said data in said shared memory means of any of said C multiprocessor clusters, where P is an integer between 4 and 256, inclusive;
- Q distributed external interface means for transferring said data and said instructions between said shared memory means and one or more external data sources, where Q is an integer between 2 and 256, inclusive;
- Z arbitration node means, each arbitration node means having one or more unique direct connection paths between said shared memory means in this multiprocessor cluster and a unique two or more of said processor means, and a unique one or more of said distributed external interface means, for symmetrically multiplexing said processor means and said distributed external interface means with said shared memory means, where Z is an integer between 2 and 128, inclusive;
- and
- remote cluster adapter means operably connected to each of said Z arbitration node means and to said shared memory means in this multiprocessor cluster and to a remote cluster adpater means in all other of said multiprocessor clusters for allowing said Z arbitration node means of this multiprocessor cluster to access said shared memory means of all other of said multiprocessor clusters and for allowing all other of said multiprocessors to access said shared memory means of this multiprocessor cluster.
4 more elements
A highly parallel computer processing system comprising:
- a single shared memory means for storing and retrieving data and instructions to be executed by the computer processing system as part of one common logical address space without duplicate address spaces;
- P processor means for executing said instructions and operating directly on said data in said shared memory means, where P is an integer between 4 and 256, inclusive;
- and
- Z arbitration node means, each arbitration node means having two or more unique unidirectional direct connection paths between said shared memory means and a unique two or more of said processor means for symmetrically multiplexing said unique two or more processors with said shared memory means, where Z is an integer between 2 and 128, inclusive.
1 more element
A highly parallel computer processing system, comprising:
- C multiprocessor cluster operably connected to one another, wherein C is an integer between 2 and 256, inclusive, each multiprocessor cluster comprising:
- a shared memory means for physically storing and retrieving data and instructions to be executed by the computer processing system as part of a single common logical address space without duplicate address spaces that includes all of said shared memory means of all said C multiprocessor clusters;
- P processor means for executing said instruction and directly operating on said data in said shared memory means of any of said C multiprocessor clusters, wherein P is an integer between 4 and 256, inclusive;
- Z arbitration node means, each arbitration node means having one or more direct connection paths that connect a unique two or more of said processor means and said shared memory means for symmetrically multiplexing said unique two or more processor means with said shared memory means, wherein Z is an integer between 2 and 128, inclusive;
- and
- remote cluster adapter means operably connected to each of said Z arbitration node means and to said shared memory means in this multiprocessor cluster and to a remote cluster adapter means in all other of said multiprocessor clusters for allowing said Z arbitration node means of this multiprocessor cluster to access said shared memory means of all other of said multiprocessor clusters and for allowing all other of said multiprocessor clusters to communicate one or more remote accesses to said shared memory means of this multiprocessor cluster and arbitrating among said remote accesses to grant access to said shared memory means of this multiprocessor cluster.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.