Patents by Inventor Greg Thorson

Greg Thorson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6230252
    Abstract: A scalable multiprocessor system includes processing element nodes. A scalable interconnect network includes physical communication links interconnecting the processing element nodes in an n-dimensional topology, and routers for routing messages between the processing element nodes on the physical communication links. The routers are capable of routing messages in hypercube topologies of at least up to six dimensions, and further capable of routing messages in at least one n dimensional torus topology having at least one of the n dimensions having a radix greater than four, such as a 4×8×4 torus topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: Randal S. Passint, Greg Thorson, Michael B. Galles
  • Patent number: 6101181
    Abstract: A multiprocessor computer system includes processing element nodes interconnected by physical communication links. Routers route messages between processing element nodes on the physical communication links. Each router includes input ports for receiving messages, output ports for sending messages from the router, two types of virtual channels, a lookup table associated with the input port having a lookup table virtual channel number, and a virtual channel assignment mechanism. The virtual channel assignment mechanism assigns an output next virtual channel number for determining the type of virtual channel to be used for routing from a next router along a given route. The next virtual channel number is assigned based on the lookup table virtual channel number and an input next virtual channel number received from a previous router along the given route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Cray Research Inc.
    Inventors: Randal S. Passint, Greg Thorson, Michael B. Galles
  • Patent number: 6085303
    Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for facilitating barrier and eureka synchronization in a massively parallel processing system. The present barrier/eureka synchronization mechanism provides a partitionable, low-latency, immediately reusable, robust mechanism which can operate on a physical data-communications network and can be used to alert all processor entities (PEs) in a partition when all of the PEs in that partition have reached a designated barrier point in their individual program code, or when any one of the PEs in that partition has reached a designated eureka point in its individual program code, or when either the barrier or eureka requirements have been satisfied, which ever comes first. Multiple overlapping synchronization partitions are available simultaneously through the use of a plurality of parallel synchronization contexts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Thorson, Randal S. Passint, Steven L. Scott
  • Patent number: 5970232
    Abstract: A multiprocessor computer system includes processing element nodes interconnected by physical communication links in a n-dimensional topology, which includes at least two global partitions. Routers route messages between processing element nodes and include ports for receiving and sending messages, and lookup tables having a local router table having directions for routing between processor element nodes within a global partition, and a global router table having directions for routing between processor element nodes located in different global partitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Randal S. Passint, Michael B. Galles, Greg Thorson
  • Patent number: 5797035
    Abstract: A multidimensional interconnection and routing apparatus for a parallel processing computer connects together possessing elements in a three-dimensional structure. The interconnection and routing apparatus includes a plurality of processing element nodes. A communication connects at least one of the processing elements with a host system. An interconnection network connects together the processing element nodes in an X, y, and Z dimension. The network includes communication paths connecting each of the plurality of processing elements to adjacent processing elements in the plus and minus directions of each of the X, Y, and Z dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Birrittella, Richard E. Kessler, Steven M. Oberlin, Randal S. Passint, Greg Thorson
  • Patent number: 5737628
    Abstract: A multidimensional interconnection and routing apparatus for a parallel processing computer connects together processing elements in a three-dimensional structure. The interconnection and routing apparatus includes a plurality of processing element nodes. A communication connects at least one of the processing elements with a host system. An interconnection network connects together the processing element nodes in an X, Y, and Z dimension. The network includes communication paths connecting each of the plurality of processing elements to adjacent processing elements in the plus and minus directions of each of the X, Y, and Z dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Birrittella, Richard E. Kessler, Steven M. Oberlin, Randal S. Passint, Greg Thorson
  • Patent number: 5583990
    Abstract: A multidimensional interconnection and routing apparatus for a parallel processing computer connects together processing elements in a three-dimensional structure. The interconnection and routing apparatus includes a plurality of processing element nodes. A communication connects at least one of the processing elements with a host system. An interconnection network connects together the processing element nodes in an X, Y, and Z dimension. The network includes communication paths connecting each of the plurality of processing elements to adjacent processing elements in the plus and minus directions of each of the X, Y, and Z dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Cray Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Birrittella, Richard E. Kessler, Steven M. Oberlin, Randal S. Passint, Greg Thorson