db_connect: Could not connect to paper db at "wotug@dragon.kent.ac.uk"
db_connect: Could not connect to paper db at "wotug@dragon.kent.ac.uk"
%T occam for Multi\-Processor DEC Alphas
db_connect: Could not connect to paper db at "wotug@dragon.kent.ac.uk"
%A Peter H. Welch, Michael D. Poole
db_connect: Could not connect to paper db at "wotug@dragon.kent.ac.uk"
%E Andr\[`e] W. P. Bakkers
%B Proceedings of WoTUG\-20: Parallel Programming and Java
%X A multi\-processor implementation of occam2.1 for
interconnected DEC Alpha processors has been derived from
the Kent Retargetable occam Compiler. Each Alpha processor
is supported over a PCI bus by a T425 transputer, whose
links complete the communications fabric. This paper reports
on the software mechanisms for supporting these platforms
from occam so that they appear just like any transputer
system \-\- a collection of processing nodes connected by
channels placed on links. Advantage was taken of a
proprietary multi\-threading kernel, supplied as part of 3L
Parallel C/AXP, to support parallel inter\-node
communication. occam multi\- processing is supported by the
KRoC kernel running within one of the 3L threads. The
performance of generated code and networked systems has been
benchmarked, with particular care being taken to measure the
interaction overheads between the Alpha and its
communication fabric. An image analysis program was also
used in the benchmarking as an example of a real
multi\-processor application.