Brent N. Chun and Alan M. Mainwaring and David E. Culler

EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley

Technical Report No. UCB/CSD-98-988

1998

This paper describes a protocol for a general-purpose cluster communication system that supports multiprogramming with virtual networks, direct and protected network access, reliable message delivery using message timeouts and retransmissions, a powerful return-to-send error model for applications, and automatic network mapping. The protocols use simple, low-cost mechanisms that exploit properties of our interconnect without limiting flexibility, usability or robustness. We have implemented the protocols in an active message communication system that runs a network of 100+ Sun UltraSPARC workstations interconnected with 40 Myrinet switches. A progression of microbenchmarks demonstrate good performance -- 42 microsecond round-trip times and 31 MB/s node to node bandwidth -- as well as scalability under heavy load and graceful performance degradation in the presence of high contention.

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BibTeX citation:

@techreport{Chun:CSD-98-988,
    Author= {Chun, Brent N. and Mainwaring, Alan M. and Culler, David E.},
    Title= {Virtual Network Transport Protocols for Myrinet},
    Year= {1998},
    Url= {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1998/5432.html},
    Number= {UCB/CSD-98-988},
    Abstract= {This paper describes a protocol for a general-purpose cluster communication system that supports multiprogramming with virtual networks, direct and protected network access, reliable message delivery using message timeouts and retransmissions, a powerful return-to-send error model for applications, and automatic network mapping. The protocols use simple, low-cost mechanisms that exploit properties of our interconnect without limiting flexibility, usability or robustness. We have implemented the protocols in an active message communication system that runs a network of 100+ Sun UltraSPARC workstations interconnected with 40 Myrinet switches. A progression of microbenchmarks demonstrate good performance -- 42 microsecond round-trip times and 31 MB/s node to node bandwidth -- as well as scalability under heavy load and graceful performance degradation in the presence of high contention.},
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Report
%A Chun, Brent N. 
%A Mainwaring, Alan M. 
%A Culler, David E. 
%T Virtual Network Transport Protocols for Myrinet
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 1998
%@ UCB/CSD-98-988
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1998/5432.html
%F Chun:CSD-98-988