Multiple crossbar network-a switched high speed local network

A description is given of the multiple crossbar network (MCN), a prototype high-speed local network. It will interconnect supercomputers, network servers, and workstations from various commercial vendors at the Los Alamos National Laboratories. The MCN can also serve as a backbone for message traffic between local area networks. The MCN is a switched local network of switching nodes called cross-point stars (CP*). Hosts and CP*s are connected by 800-Mbit/s (100-Mbyte/s) point-to-point ANSI high-speed channels. CP*s include RISC-based network protocol processors called crossbar interfaces and a switching core called the crossbar switch. Protocols include physical, data link, intranet, and network access functionality. Various internet and transport protocols are intended to run above the MCN protocol suite. A network management and simple naming service is also included within the Los Alamos network architecture. Immediate applications include visualization. The MCN is intended to also serve as a framework for multicomputer applications