ukola%adam.Caltech.Edu@Hamlet.Caltech.Edu (Adam Kolawa) (12/03/87)
ABSTRACT The PC-CUBE, An IBM PC-Based Hypercube This abstract discusses PC-CUBE, an IBM PC or compatible based hypercube. Personal computers are connected in a hypercube topology with ordinary computer cables. This is the least expensive way to learn about developing parallel systems. The code developed on PC-Cube can be transferred to a larger system such as the iPSC or the NCUBE hypercubes. Communication occurs at the rate of 115.2 K-bauds via the RS-232 serial links. Available for the PC-CUBE is the Crystalline Operating System III (CrOS III), CUBIX (a model for programming hypercubes without programming the control processors), and Mercury Operating System ( supports both synchronous and asynchronous message passing.) A CrOS performance monitor has been developed which facilitates the measurement of communication and computation time of a program and its effects on performance. Also available is GRAFIX and PLOTIX which are graphics routines for the EGA and CGA, and a general profiler for determining execution time spent by program subroutines. PC-CUBE provides a programming environment similar to all hypercube systems running CrOS III. In addition, every node (personal computer) has its own graphics display monitor and storage devices. These allow data to be displayed or stored at every processor, which has instructional value and enables easier debugging of applications. Some application programs which are taken from the book "Solving Problems on Concurrent Processors" by Fox, et. al. have been implemented with graphics enhancement on PC-CUBE. The applications range from solving the Mandelbrot set, Laplace equation, wave equation, long range force, to Wator, an ecological simulation. --------------------------------------------------------- The system is available from ParaSoft Corporation. The price of the system is $1,000.00 per copy. If you are interested please contact Larry Lesser at (714) 380-8375 or write to Larry at 27415 Trabuco Circle, Mission Viejo, CA 92692, or send email to ukola@cithex.caltech.edu or ukola.cithex.caltech.bitnet.