Distributed computation via active messages

An extension to the token ring protocol which allows a special type of arithmetic, called shift arithmetic, to be performed directly on the node´s interfaces is proposed. The new protocol is based on an approach in which the communication channel and the interfaces form an environment in which simple commands can be executed. Each command operates on operands located at the interfaces, and places the result at the interface which initiated the command. The commands utilize the mandatory 1-bit delay of the token ring protocol to implement arithmetic and logical operations on the operands without further delay. The goal of this protocol is to enhance the performance of distributed algorithms on ring networks by performing many simple tasks in the lowest possible level. The authors show that this protocol is especially useful for load sharing in local area networks. Other potential application areas include parallel algorithms, distributed simulation, distributed operating systems, distributed databases and real-time computations.