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\noindent
{\bf
Intel iPSC/2
}

\noindent
{\bf
Hypercube Architecture
}

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\noindent
{\bf Architecture:}
The original iPSC/1 machine was developed from Caltech work on the
Cosmic Cube.  The iPSC/2 is Intel's second generation of
concurrent computer. Although physically connected in a hypercube
topology, the iPSC/2 incorporates Direct-Connect routing hardware
that avoids the intermediate node store-and-forward overhead of the
earlier systems and significantly reduces the message start-up
time. Thus processors are not interrupted for routing messages
and, from a programming and performance viewpoint, the
configuration acts like a fully connected graph rather than a
conventional hypercube.

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\noindent
The iPSC/2 is available with 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 nodes.
Each node consists of an 80386 CPU, an 80387 floating-point
coprocessor, and from 1 to 16 Mbytes of memory. The 80387 has IEEE
arithmetic with 32, 64, and 80 bit formats and a speed of about
350 Kflops.  Each node also has 8 bidirectional communication
channels rated at 2.8 Mbytes/sec per channel in each direction.
One of the channels is reserved for I/O (or for connection to the
System Resources Manager in the case of node 0), and the others
are used for inter-node communication.

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\noindent
The basic system may be enhanced by adding memory modules,
the SX scalar extension (Weitek 1167) providing 1.1 Mflops at
32-bit (0.625 Mflops at 64-bit) per node and the VX vector
extension providing 20 (6.6 at 64-bit) Mflops peak per node. Nodes
can support both the SX and the VX options simultaneously.

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\noindent
The vector extension, or VX, boards consist of two 100 nsec
cycle, pipelined floating-point units, one for
addition/subtraction and one for multiplication, an
additional Mbyte of 250 nsec data memory, and 16
Kbytes of 100 nsec fast data memory.  The speed of vector
operations is determined largely by the memory speed.  For
example, a DAXPY involving long-precision vectors in the
large, main memory has a peak rate of 2.6 Mflops on a
single node, while a dot product involving short-precision
vectors in the small, fast memory can approach 20 Mflops.

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\noindent
The computational facilities of the iPSC/2 system can be extended with
large-scale mass storage with the Concurrent I/O facilities for the iPSC/2.
The initial system will support as much as 40 Gbytes of formatted data.
The I/O facilities expand the iPSC/2 architecture to include parallel
arrays of 5 1/4 in. Winchester disk drives, or other peripheral
devices, managed by I/O processing nodes which are part of the
Direct-Connect communications network.
The architecture suports up to 7 Winchester
disks for each I/O node, connected via an SCSI bus, each with
formatted storage of 676 Mbytes, in configurations numbering
up to 127 I/O nodes.
Thus, the maximum capacity for the architecture is 343 Gbytes.

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\noindent
The Concurrent I/O facilities are paired with the Concurrent File System
(CFS) software, which makes the parallel disks transparent to the user.
User files are automatically partitioned across the disks, allowing
very large files and concurrent file access.
CFS caches file blocks (4 Kbytes each) in the 4 Mbyte
memory on each I/O node.
The Unix standard I/O library of file system calls is supported by CFS.

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\noindent
The I/O facilities can also be extended with VME or MULTIBUS II devices
with a bus interface card that can connect to each I/O node.
The facilities are housed in a new iPSC/2 cabinet (``full-size'')
with standard 19-in. racks, each holding up to 16 disks and 8 I/O nodes.

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\noindent
{\bf Configuration:}
The iPSC/2 includes a front-end System Resource Manager
(SRM).  The SRM acts as a gateway to TCP/IP Ethernet networks, as
a compile server for remote hosts, and as a prime host for directly
connected terminals.  The SRM includes an 80386/80387 processor, 8
Mbytes of memory, a 140 Mbyte Winchester disk, 1.2 Mbyte floppy,
60 Mbyte cartridge tape, a keyboard, and a monitor, in
addition to the TCP/IP Ethernet connection.

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\noindent
{\bf Software:}
The operating system for the SRM is Unix V.3, and the message-passing
operating system on each iPSC/2 node is Intel's NX/2 node executive.
The Concurrent File System is co-resident with NX/2.

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\noindent
{\bf Languages available:}
The languages supported
by Intel for the iPSC/2 system include
Fortran 77, C, Common Lisp, and Ada.
Also available is
VAST-2, a Fortran vectorizer from Pacific Sierra Research
for VX systems;
DECON, a concurrent debugger for the iPSC/2;
and the iPSC/2
Simulator
(hosted on any Unix system).
The collection of software tools is part of the Concurrent Workbench,
a development environment hosted on Sun workstations.
The environment supports dynamic allocation of subcubes of the larger system,
as well as remote compilation and loading.

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\noindent
Independent developers have implemented other environments for the iPSC/2,
including Interwork-II, a discrete event simulation environment from Block
Island Technologies, and Strand, a concurrent logic language from AI
Limited in England.

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\noindent
Numerical libraries are available for many basic operations
including the solution of linear equations (LINPACK, 130 Mflops on a 64-node
iPSC/2
VX in 64-bit precision) and FFTs (276 Mflops for a 1024 x 1024 FFT  on the same
model, in 32-bit precision).
The peak performance of the maximum 128-node VX configuration is 2560
Mflops.

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\noindent
{\bf Applications:}
Applications software includes NEKTON (fluid dynamics and heat
transfer), PASSAGE (flow through complex stationary and rotating
passages), ADDS (die design system for the metal forming
industry), FLO 87 (successor to the
FLO 57 aerodynamics code from Princeton), VSAERO
(subsonic aerodynamic flow), and HYPERNEWTON (molecular dynamics).
Numerous other
packages are in development, and many non-commercial applications
and utilities are available through the user group.

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\noindent
{\bf Status:}
Systems are offered in two sizes of cabinets:
16" x 16" x 49", 3.4 KW, 215 lb (compact),
and 21" x 26" x 62", 4.6 KW, 475 lb (full-size).

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\noindent
iPSC/2 systems are available from \$100,000, with discounts available
for qualifying educational establishments.
Sample prices for some iPSC/2 configurations are given in the following table:

\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{llll}
System    &amp;    Nodes    &amp;    Memory per node    &amp;   Price \\  \hline

iPSC/2 D4 &amp;    16       &amp;    1 Mbyte            &amp;   \$ 187K  \\
iPSC/2 D4 &amp;    16       &amp;   16 Mbytes           &amp;   \$ 433K  \\
iPSC/2 D6 &amp;    64       &amp;   16 Mbytes           &amp;   \$ 1.6M  \\
iPSC/2 D7 &amp;   128       &amp;   8 Mbytes            &amp;   \$ 2.1M  \\
iPSC/2 SX D7 &amp; 128 scalar  &amp;   8 Mbytes         &amp;   \$ 3.5M  \\
iPSC/2 VX D3 &amp; 8 vector   &amp;  1 Mbyte            &amp;   \$ 234K  \\
iPSC/2 VX D4 &amp; 16 vector  &amp;  4 Mbytes           &amp;   \$ 464K  \\
iPSC/2 VX D7  &amp; 128 vector  &amp;  8 Mbytes         &amp;   \$ 4.1M
\end{tabular}
\end{center}

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\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{lllll}
                  &amp;    I/O Nodes   &amp;   Disk Capacity          &amp;  Price  \\  \hline

Concurrent I/O    &amp;    1           &amp;    2 disks, 1.3 Gbytes   &amp;   \$ 61K  \\
Facilities        &amp;    2           &amp;    4 disks, 2.6 Gbytes   &amp;   \$ 94K  \\
                  &amp;    8           &amp;   16 disks, 10.4 Gbytes  &amp;   \$ 300K  \\
                  &amp;    32          &amp;   64 disks, 41.6 Gbytes  &amp;   \$ 1.2M
\end{tabular}
\end{center}



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\noindent
The VAST-2 vectorizer is priced at \$10K,
Lisp varies from \$10K to \$30K, and Ada from \$15K to \$60K.
The iPSC
simulator is \$395.

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\noindent
The first deliveries of the iPSC/1 were made in
July 1985; the first deliveries of the iPSC/2 were made in
December 1987;
the first deliveries of Concurrent I/O facilities were made
in September 1988.

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\noindent
Over 134 iPSC systems were installed worldwide as of October 1988.

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\noindent
Current research environments using iPSC/2 systems include Oak
Ridge, MIT, SERC (England), University of Wisconsin, Yale,
Cornell, University of Illinois, SUNY, BRI (Canada), ONERA (France) and
GMD (Germany).


\noindent
{\bf Contact:}
\begin{flushleft}
Intel Scientific Computers\\
15201 NW Greenbriar PW\\
Beaverton, Oregon 97006\\
503-629-7600    FAX 503-629-9147\\
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Applications Technology:     David Scott\\
Marketing Manager:        Charlie Bishop\\
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EUROPE\\

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Intel Scientific Computers\\
Intel Corporation (UK) Ltd\\
Pipers Way\\
Swindon SN3 1RJ\\
England\\
0793-696578   Telex 444447/8   FAX 0793-641440\\

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European Manager: David Moody\\
Applications Engineer:  Richard Chamberlain\\
\end{flushleft}
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