Title :
The MasPar scalable Unix I/O system
Author :
Nickolls, John R.
Author_Institution :
MasPar Comput. Corp., Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Abstract :
Scalable parallel computers require I/O balanced with computational power to solve data-intensive problems. Distributed memory architectures call for I/O hardware and software beyond those of conventional scalar systems. This paper introduces the MasPar I/O system, designed to provide balanced and scalable data-parallel Unix I/O. The architecture and implementation of the I/O hardware and software are described. Key elements include parallel access to conventional Unix file descriptors and a self-routing multistage network coupled with a buffer memory for flexible parallel I/O transfers. Performance measurements are presented for parallel Unix I/O with a scalable RAID disk array, a RAM disk, and a HIPPI interconnect
Keywords :
Unix; buffer storage; distributed memory systems; input-output programs; multiprocessing programs; network interfaces; parallel machines; performance evaluation; reconfigurable architectures; HIPPI interconnect; MasPar scalable Unix I/O system; RAM disk; Unix file descriptor; data-intensive problems; distributed memory architectures; parallel access; performance measurements; scalable RAID disk array; self-routing multistage network; Application software; Communication system control; Computer architecture; Concurrent computing; Hardware; Memory architecture; Parallel processing; Parallel programming; Process control; Reduced instruction set computing;
Conference_Titel :
Parallel Processing Symposium, 1994. Proceedings., Eighth International
Conference_Location :
Cancun
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-5602-6
DOI :
10.1109/IPPS.1994.288272
