A CAD package for simulation of parallel processing architectures

This article presents a CAD package which can be used in evaluating the performance of user-defined parallel processing architectures (PPA). The package allows the simulation of different PPA systems and evaluation of their performance with respect to how the architecture influences the system operation, speed of throughput of task execution and cost. Any of the architectures classified according to Flynn´s taxonomy, based on SISD (single instruction single data), SIMD (single instruction multiple data), MISD (multiple instruction single data) or MIMD (multiple instruction multiple data), can be simulated. The package then allows the user to define the workload (tasks) to be run on the system and selects a scheduling technique to model a scheduler. The results (i.e. system performance criteria) are finally presented graphically to indicate the general expected performance of the PPA system and to allow the user to study how the various parameters affect the final system performance. Thus, by using these results throughout the evolution of a computer system, one can reject unfeasible PPA set-ups in the early design stages and make any necessary changes to the system hardware architecture. This menu-driven package is presented in a user-friendly environment which graphically displays the defined architecture and simulation results, which, in turn, together with a HELP and ERROR LOG facility, makes it a powerful CAD tool