ANL/Star Project: A new architecture for large scale theoretical physics computations
Abstract
The project reported consists of two phases, each of which has goals of substantial physics content on its own. In Phase 1, Star Technologies' ST-100 was selected as the array processor for the prototype coupled system and have installed one on a Vax 11/750 host. The goals with this system are to institute a substantial program in computational physics based on the power provided by this system and thereby to gain experience with both the hardware and software architecture of the ST-100. In Phase 2, a prototype is proposed consisting of two coupled array processors with shared memory to prove that this design can achieve high speed and efficiency in a readily extensible and cost effective manner. This will implement all of the hardware and software modifications necessary to extend this design to as many as 64 (or more) nodes. The changes made are minimized in the standard system hardware and software; this drastically reduces the effort required to implement such a design. The architecture of the ST-100 is discussed and the physics program. The proposed design of the coupled system is also presented.
- Publication:
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Presented at the Computing in High Energy Physics Conference
- Pub Date:
- June 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985chep.conf.....R
- Keywords:
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- Architecture (Computers);
- Computation;
- Computer Programs;
- Computer Systems Design;
- Theoretical Physics;
- Computer Networks;
- Field Theory (Physics);
- Superconductors;
- Vax Computers;
- Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics