DS-link over fiber: a high-speed interconnect for cluster computing

There has been a considerable upsurge in cluster based computing. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, at Pune, India is also offering a cluster computing solution based on its proprietary network. This network is built around a high speed interconnect which uses DS-link protocol, a part of IEEE 1355 standard. One of the disadvantages that prevents DS links to operate in a geographically distributed computing environment is its distance limitation. We have sought to remove this limitation by suggesting a scheme for implementing DS links over optical fibers. This scheme has been designed and implemented by us. We discuss the salient features of our scheme. Our preliminary studies indicate that a cluster computing solution using this extended link will be an attractive solution