Abstract: A transmitting circuit splits data to be transmitted into a number of pieces of smaller data, generating packets each used for containing one of the pieces of smaller data with an amount determined by the size of the packet and adding information to a header of each of the packets prior to transmission of the packet to a receiving circuit. Each time the receiving circuit receives any of the packets, the receiving circuit uses the information included in header of the packet to determine whether the packet has been received normally.

Abstract: To reduce an overhead of the interrupt on a processor associated with packet send and receive control in a network, a packet send command chaining unit is provided. Based on the control field in each packet send command, a send node controls an interrupt request to the processor in the packet level and sends a packet set with the control information to a receive node. Based on the control field in the received data packet, the receive node controls a receive circuit interrupt request, thereby reducing the number of times the interrupt on the instruction processor is caused for each packet send and receive operation.

Abstract: A parallel computer system includes a plurality of processors, each of which is placed in data communication with an interconnecting network. Pairs of a data signal and a data identification code, predetermined for the data signal, are received by each processor and stored in a memory. Structure is provided for reading a data signal belonging to one of the pairs having a data identification code designated by a data readout instruction.

Abstract: In order to determine a transfer path of a message to a receiving-end processor group, a processor includes a routing bit generation circuit, and an exchange switch includes partial broadcast path control circuits and a path control information alteration circuit. In order to define the range of a receiving-end processor group, a network includes transfer control circuits. A crossbar switch includes transfer control circuits associated with output ports and a boundary register group. When a partial broadcast message is transferred from an input port in the downstream direction of an output port, it is decided whether a belonging to the partial broadcast range associated with a connected to the particular input port is connected to the particular output port, whereby the particular partial broadcast message is transferred from the same output port.

Abstract: In a method of transferring packets in a network for a parallel processor system handling a one-to-one transfer packet to be transferred from a processor to another processor and a broadcast packet to be transferred from a processor to a plurality of other processors, a transfer request of a broadcast packet is preferentially selected and a check is made to detect whether or not a plurality of processors specified as receivers are in a state in which the packet can be received. The broadcast packet is transferred to the processors found to be in the state in which the packet can be received. The packet transfer is delayed for the other processors in a state in which the packet cannot be received. Namely, only when the state of the processors is changed to the state in which the packet can be received, the broadcast packet is transferred thereto.

Abstract: In a parallel processor system comprising a plurality of processor elements constituting a network, a source processor element wishing to broadcast data to a plurality of destination processor elements sends a broadcast request message containing the target data to a broadcast exchanger. The broadcast exchanger converts the received message into a broadcast message and sends it over the network to the destinations. A plurality of broadcast request messages, if transmitted parallelly to the broadcast exchanger, are serialized thereby so that only one broadcast message will be transmitted at a time over the network. This prevents deadlock from occurring between different broadcast messages. The routes for transmitting broadcast request messages and those for transmitting broadcast messages are arranged so as not to overlap with one another. This suppresses deadlock between any broadcast request message and broadcast message. The broadcast exchanger is replaced alternatively with one of the partial networks.

Abstract: Parallel processors communicate with each other over a network by transmitting messages that include destination processor information. A message controller for each processor in the network receives the messages and checks for faults in the message, particularly in the destination processor number contained in a first word of the message. If a fault occurs in the destination processor number, then the faulty message is transmitted to an appropriate processor for handling the fault. In this way the network operation is not suspended because of the fault and the message is not left in the network as a result of the error occurring in the destination processor number. The processor to which the faulty message is directed is determined by a substitute destination processor number contained in the message or is predetermined and set in another way, such as by a service processor.

Abstract: A parallel processor system including a plurality of processors. When packets of same destination PE number are inputted from different ports, the destination PE number is added with ID numbers of leading ports of split crossbar switches to which the different input ports belong, respectively, by using respective addition circuits, to thereby determine a transfer destination output port for the packets. A plurality of the split crossbar switches having different numbers of input/output ports are realized by partitioning a crossbar switch.

Abstract: An operation complete signal and a convergence result signal from each processor are transferred to the X-direction interconnection switches, AND of these signals is obtained in switch units in each interconnection switch, the signal is sent out to all the Y-direction interconnection switches through a synchronizing signal relay switch and the like in each relay switch, AND of these signals is obtained in each switch unit in the interconnection switches, and the result thereof is transferred to each processor through each synchronizing signal relay switch. With this, a logical product of an operation complete signal and a logical product of a convergence result signal from all the processors are sent in parallel to all the processors.

Abstract: A parallel processor system includes: a reception buffer pointer controller for generating an address of a reception buffer area in which a received packet is written and for checking whether there is no space area in the reception buffer area; a discard command bit capable of being set and reset by an instruction processor; a received packet discard judging unit for judging from the discard command bit and information supplied from the reception buffer pointer controller, whether the received packet is written, suspended, or discarded; and a reception controller for controlling to write the received packet in the reception buffer area in accordance with an judgement by the received packet discard judging unit. With this arrangement, even if there is no space area in the reception buffer area for storing a received packet or even if the received packet cannot be received because of a failure in the reception processor unit, the received packet can be discarded at the reception processor unit.

Abstract: In a parallel computer, in order to reduce the overhead of data transmissions between the processes, a data transmission from the virtual space of a process in a certain cluster to the virtual space of a process in other cluster is executed without copying the data to the buffer provided within the operating system. The real communication area resident in the real memory is provided in a part of the virtual space of the process, and an identifier unique within the cluster is given to the communication area. When the transmission process has issued a transmission instruction at the time of data transmission, the cluster address of the cluster in which the transmission destination process exists and the identifier of the communication area are determined based on the name of the transmission destination process. Then, the data is directly transmitted between the mutual real communication areas of the transmission originating process and the transmission destination process.

Abstract: Crossbar switches having 2.sup.n +1 ports and computing clusters are arranged so that each crossbar switch is connected to 2.sup.n processors. Auxiliary processors that perform parallel processing administrative functions and input/output functions are arranged at the remainder ports of the crossbar switches. Exchangers are provided to connect each processor and its crossbar switches. Parallel processing may be executed by the 2.sup.n processors independently of processing by the auxiliary processors for speed. One mounting unit is formed of a crossbar switch of one dimension, the processor group connected to that crossbar switch, and all of the crossbar switches of a different dimension that are connected to one of the processors of the one processor group.

Abstract: In a multiprocessor digital computer system ID data, coupled with data for which inter-processor communication is desired, is communicated from one processor and held temporarily with data in a receiver buffer (associative memory) in a receiving processor. This ID is divided into main ID data MK and sub ID data SK. Main ID data MK is used for searching data from a receive buffer. The sub ID data SK are used as an ID of the data in the receive processor.

Abstract: A parallel processor system having a plurality of processor elements includes transfer information generation circuit for generating transfer information by adding to vector data a data identifier for the vector data and a destination processor element number, transmission circuit for sending the transfer information to a data communication path, receive circuit for holding the transfer information sent from the data communication path, and vector register for continuously reading related element data from the receive circuit based on the data identifiers generated by the transfer information generation circuit.

Abstract: A computer comprising a circuit for writing a group of ordered data elements onto the main storage; a circuit for reading said group of data from the main storage; and a circuit which is connected to the writing circuit and to the reading circuit, and which ensures the sequence of main storage references between said writing circuit and said reading circuit such that said reading circuit will not read the data elements that have not yet been written by said writing circuit among said group of data elements.