Title :
Fault-tolerance in parallel architectures with crosspoint switches
Author :
Stenzel, G. ; Spruth, W. ; Blum, Andrew ; Boettiger, H. ; Louis, H. ; Scarafia, S.
Author_Institution :
IBM Lab. Boblingen, Germany
Abstract :
Based on an existing IBM/370 switch connected parallel processor (SCPP) prototype implementation, conceptual enhancements in the design for continuous availability are described. These enhancements include the user-specifiable two- to three-fold concurrent execution of processes on nonsynchronized processing units (PUs). The output produced by these processes is compared by software or hardware means. The asynchronism of the execution allows the detection of context-dependent software failures in addition to the detection of hardware errors. These design advances encompass novel hardware and software features aimed at achieving continuous system operation as well as superior information integrity at an improved cost/performance ratio, facilitating a proven crosspoint switch intercommunication mechanism of the SCPP
Keywords :
fault tolerant computing; parallel architectures; IBM/370; concurrent execution; context-dependent software failures; continuous availability; crosspoint switches; fault tolerance; hardware errors; information integrity; nonsynchronized processing units; parallel architectures; switch connected parallel processor; Computer errors; Continuous time systems; Costs; Fault tolerance; Hardware; Parallel architectures; Prototypes; Software performance; Software prototyping; Switches;
Conference_Titel :
CompEuro '91. Advanced Computer Technology, Reliable Systems and Applications. 5th Annual European Computer Conference. Proceedings.
Conference_Location :
Bologna
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-2141-9
DOI :
10.1109/CMPEUR.1991.257433
