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 Southampton University Computing Services

                 Channel Attached Transputers

An interface between transputers and IBM S/370 mainframes.

Southampton University Computing Services and the IBM UK
Scientific Centre at Winchester have reached a stable and working
platform in their collaborative project to build an interface
between T-series transputers and IBM S/370 architecture
mainframes.

The 'CAT' hardware connects an IBM S/370 channel to up to four
transputer networks, providing the standard Inmos reset and
analyse control and error monitoring for each network. The
transputers appear as standard virtual devices to the system and
may be attached to virtual machines in a similar manner to tape
drives. The current level of hardware gives a host-to-transputer
transfer bandwidth exceeding any of our PC systems, and similar
to that of our Sun system. The hardware is extremely reliable and
has been operational for over 99% of our IBM 3090 up-time for its
service lifetime (nearly 4 months). In our current configuration
we use the CAT to host three single T800 transputers for program
development, and a Parsys supernode containing 32 T800s including
a high resolution graphics board.

The service we provide is based around the latest Inmos C and
Occam toolsets (with Fortran and C++ to follow as they become
available). Users of the Southampton 3090 can now use the
toolsets to develop their transputer applications much as they
would from any other host. The latest versions provide good
compilers and a useful suite of complimentary development tools,
such as a makefile generator and a breakpoint debugger. Local
Southampton tools include a folding editor based on XEDIT, the
standard CMS editor, and a Unix-like make utility to provide
users with a basic route towards automated program building. We
also provide a suite of programming aids, such as harnesses and
graphics libraries.

If you are interested in either the hardware or the service for
any reason we would be glad to hear from you, please email the
following address :

N.R.Clarke@uk.ac.soton.ibm

or

M.A.Baker@uk.ac.soton.ibm

or write to:

Parallel Computing Support Group
Computing Services
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO9 5NH
United Kingdom

Tel: 0703 592594, international +44 703 592594
Fax: 0703 593939, interantional +44 703 593939