Title :
User level communication on Alpha Linux systems
Author :
Chen, Jie ; Watson, William, III
Author_Institution :
High Performance Comput. Group, Thomas Jefferson Nat. Accel. Facility, Newport News, VA, USA
Abstract :
Recent advances in commodity network interface technology enable scientists and engineers to build clusters of workstations or PCs to execute parallel applications. However, raw-hardware network performance is rarely delivered to applications because of the overheads of communication software and operating systems. To reduce these overheads, a technique called user-level communication can be used to allow applications to access the network interface directly without intervention from the operating system. We examine two user-level communication systems, GM and BIP, on alpha based systems connected by a Myrinet network. In addition quantitative studies on how DMA initiation costs, flow control and reliable communication will effect the performance of communication software are presented
Keywords :
Unix; multiprocessor interconnection networks; network interfaces; network operating systems; workstation clusters; Alpha Linux systems; BIP; GM; Myrinet network; PC clusters; commodity network interface technology; communication software; flow control; initiation costs; operating systems; reliable communication; user level communication; user-level communication; workstation clusters; Application software; Communication system software; Costs; Linux; Network interfaces; Operating systems; Personal communication networks; Software performance; Software systems; Workstations;
Conference_Titel :
Parallel Architectures, Algorithms and Networks, 2000. I-SPAN 2000. Proceedings. International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Dallas, TX
Print_ISBN :
0-7695-0936-3
DOI :
10.1109/ISPAN.2000.900258