Parallel Supercomputing In Simd Architectures

Parallel Supercomputing in SIMD Architectures

Parallel Supercomputing in SIMD Architectures is a survey book providing a thorough review of Single-Instruction-Multiple-Data machines, a type of parallel processing computer that has grown to importance in recent years. It was written to describe this technology in depth including the architectural concept, its history, a variety of hardware implementations, major programming languages, algorithmic methods, representative applications, and an assessment of benefits and drawbacks. Although there are numerous books on parallel processing, this is the first volume devoted entirely to the massively parallel machines of the SIMD class. The reader already familiar with low order parallel processing will discover a different philosophy of parallelism--the data parallel paradigm instead of the more familiar program parallel scheme. The contents are organized into nine chapters, rich with illustrations and tables. The first two provide introduction and background covering fundamental concepts and a description of early SIMD computers. Chapters 3 through 8 each address specific machines from the first SIMD supercomputer (Illiac IV) through several contemporary designs to some example research computers. The final chapter provides commentary and lessons learned. Because the test of any technology is what it can do, diverse applications are incorporated throughout, leading step by step to increasingly ambitious examples. The book is intended for a wide range of readers. Computer professionals will find sufficient detail to incorporate much of this material into their own endeavors. Program managers and applications system designers may find the solution to their requirements for high computational performance at an affordable cost. Scientists and engineers will find sufficient processing speed to make interactive simulation a practical adjunct to theory and experiment. Students will find a case study of an emerging and maturing technology. The general reader is afforded the opportunity to appreciate the power of advanced computing and some of the ramifications of this growing capability.

Parallel Supercomputing in SIMD Architectures

Parallel Supercomputing in MIMD Architectures

Parallel Supercomputing in MIMD Architectures is devoted to supercomputing on a wide variety of Multiple-Instruction-Multiple-Data (MIMD)-class parallel machines. This book describes architectural concepts, commercial and research hardware implementations, major programming concepts, algorithmic methods, representative applications, and benefits and drawbacks. Commercial machines described include Connection Machine 5, NCUBE, Butterfly, Meiko, Intel iPSC, iPSC/2 and iWarp, DSP3, Multimax, Sequent, and Teradata. Research machines covered include the J-Machine, PAX, Concert, and ASP. Operating systems, languages, translating sequential programs to parallel, and semiautomatic parallelizing are aspects of MIMD software addressed in Parallel Supercomputing in MIMD Architectures. MIMD issues such as scalability, partitioning, processor utilization, and heterogenous networks are discussed as well.This book is packed with important information and richly illustrated with diagrams and tables, Parallel Supercomputing in MIMD Architectures is an essential reference for computer professionals, program managers, applications system designers, scientists, engineers, and students in the computer sciences.