🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: comp.sys.transputer
Article #2604

(none)

#2604
From: Parasoft GmbH
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1989 22:33
182 lines
9537 bytes
        ######
        #     #   ####   #####    #####    ##    #####   #       ######
        #     #  #    #  #    #     #     #  #   #    #  #       #
        ######   #    #  #    #     #    #    #  #####   #       #####
        #        #    #  #####      #    ######  #    #  #       #
        #        #    #  #   #      #    #    #  #    #  #       #
        #         ####   #    #     #    #    #  #####   ######  ######

        ######
        #     #    ##    #####     ##    #       #       ######  #
        #     #   #  #   #    #   #  #   #       #       #       #
        ######   #    #  #    #  #    #  #       #       #####   #
        #        ######  #####   ######  #       #       #       #
        #        #    #  #   #   #    #  #       #       #       #
        #        #    #  #    #  #    #  ######  ######  ######  ######

     #####
    #     #   ####   #    #  #####   #    #   #####     #    #    #   ####
    #        #    #  ##  ##  #    #  #    #     #       #    ##   #  #    #
    #        #    #  # ## #  #    #  #    #     #       #    # #  #  #
    #        #    #  #    #  #####   #    #     #       #    #  # #  #  ###
    #     #  #    #  #    #  #       #    #     #       #    #   ##  #    #
     #####    ####   #    #  #        ####      #       #    #    #   ####


    ParaSoft is pleased to announce that it has recently made available
    its comprehensive parallel processing system, Express, on Sun3, Sun4,
    Sun386-i, PC and Mac transputer platforms.  The combination of these 
    hosts, one or more RISC transputer boards and the Express operating 
    environment make parallel programming both straightforward and 
    worthwhile. Furthermore Express provides you with the flexibility 
    to move between different types of parallel computers -- Express 
    programs currently run on most transputer systems, NCUBEs, INTEL
    iPSCs and will soon be running on SYMULT machines.

    The Express computing environment, operating within the native Sun O/S
    DOS or Mac operating systems allows you access to the parallel processing
    power in a very straightforward way. Applications may operate in their own
    conventional manner taking advantage of the enhanced computing power of
    the transputer while still using the advanced facilities of the native
    operating system, suntools, Xwindows, etc.. 

    Express provides ALL the tools needed for parallel programming 
     
        *  Low, intermediate and high level communication primitives.
        *  Semi-automatic decomposing tools for regular problems.
        *  Parallel I/O and operating system interface.
        *  Embedded, device independent, graphics.
        *  Multi-tasking -- load balancing capability.
        *  NDB - a fully featured, source level debugger.
        *  PM  - performance analysis for parallel programs.

   Express
   -------

    Until recently parallel processing suffered severe "image" problems --
    it was thought to be too difficult. Furthermore the payoffs for many
    hours toil and tears weren't that great because parallel processors 
    with real computing power weren't available. The transputer has solved
    the latter problem and Express solves the first.

    Express is a parallel computer "operating system" that lets you get the
    job done. It operates in a highly unintrusive manner which lets you take
    advantage of the (significant) native capabilities of the Sun or DOS
    operating systems while simultaneously providing all the tools necessary
    to construct, debug and analyze parallel programs.

    Internode Communication:
        The basic tool of all parallel programs, Express provides a multi-tiered
        system that lets you choose the most appropriate level of support for
        your application; Simple message send/receive primitives, double
        buffered message passing, interrupt handling, data broadcast, 
        scatter/gather/combine operations.........
  
        IF you wish to keep code that already runs under Sun OS or DOS then
        Express allows you to treat the Sun as simply another node in the
        parallel processing network, albeit one with rather extraordinary
        capabilities. Alternatively you may run an entire application on
        one or more transputer nodes.

    I/O:
        Express provides fully parallel I/O from every transputer node.
        Several modes of operation are tailored to the needs of common
        algorithms and allow existing programs to run "intact" on the
        transputer nodes. Every processor has access to the operating 
        system services of any host processor attached to the network.

    Graphics:
        As well as allowing you the freedom to use the normal Sun window
        environment Express also gives the transputer nodes the ability to
        generate their own, device independent, graphics output. The system
        is tailored to the needs of common algorithms and supports a wide
        variety of output devices: Sun windows, PostScript, Tektronix 4105,
	IBM EGA, etc....

    Multitasking:
        Express provides an advanced multi-tasking system for the parallel
        computer nodes. Simply put, messages have the ability to transform
        themselves into tasks on receipt! The newly generated tasks then
        function completely independently and share all resources available
        to the node they live on.

    Multi-'host'-ing:
        If you feel limited by having only a few AT slots in your machine or
        you'd like to share your parallel computer resource with other users
        then connect them up! Express allows any number of inhomogeneous
        transputer products and hosts to be connected together and run as a 
        single unit with multiple users simultaneously sharing access to 
        the network. You can add dedicated hosts for graphics, disk access 
        or just simply extra terminals and have one program send messages 
        to any of the others.

    Debugging:
        NDB is a fully functioned source level debugger for programs running
        on the transputer network. Sharing the same command line interface 
	as Sun's own dbx it is very easy to learn and invaluable for use. Set
        breakpoints in one or more transputer nodes, examine data, single
        step, look at message queues ....... NDB is the ONLY debugger that
        allows interactive access to the parallel computer. Before its
        development you worked in the dark, now you can see everything AS
        IT HAPPENS.

    Profiling:
        You just got your application running on the parallel computer so now
        what? Time it.

        Parallel processing is all about performance. PM is a tool designed to
        take the guesswork out of optimizing parallel programs by letting you
        see exactly what happens when your program runs. Three levels of
        profiling are provided to answer the following questions :

	    Execution:     How long am I spending in this routine? Where should
                           I concentrate on my code?
            Communication: How much of the time is spent communicating rather
                           than calculating? How 'efficient' is my parallel
                           algorithm? Am I sending too many short messages?
            Event:         Why is node 3 going so slowly? Who is holding it
                           up and why? Is their some sort of sequential
                           bottleneck in my algorithm?


         All this is available through a simple RUN-TIME switch. You don't
         even need to recompile anything!!!!

    Languages:
        Both C and Fortran are supported.


  Hardware:
  --------
       Currently Express supports most of the Transputer hardware including:

		1) INMOS B004, B008 AT boards
		2) INMOS B011, B014 SUN boards
		2) Microway, Definicon and CSA Transputer boards AT boards
		3) Levco Macintosh boards
                4) Topologix SUN boards
		5) Meiko systems

       Express runs also on NCUBE, Intel IPSC and SYMULT parallel systems.
       We are currently porting Express to a wide variety of shared memory
       parallel computers.

  More Information:
  ----------------

    If you'd like more information about either transputers or Express
    drop us a line or call
                               
          +--+                 +---
          |  |  .--. .--. .--. |     .--. .-- ---
          |--+  |__| |__| |__| +--+  |  | |__  |                          
          |     |  | | \  |  |    |  |__| |    |                             
          |                    ---+

                                      ParaSoft Corporation,
                                      27415, Trabuco Circle
                                      Mission Viejo, CA 92692
                    
                                      Phone: (714)-380-9739
                                      FAX  : (714)-380-9739
Technical Details
Message-ID: <8904052233.AA01067@wega.caltech.edu>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!WEGA.CALTECH.EDU!parasoft

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!WEGA.CALTECH.EDU!parasoft
From: parasoft@WEGA.CALTECH.EDU (Parasoft GmbH)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <8904052233.AA01067@wega.caltech.edu>
Date: 5 Apr 89 22:33:24 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 182