Shared memories in the CYBA-M multimicroprocessor

Increasing use of microprocessors in discrete equipment has led to renewed interest in multiprocessing systems. The need for research into design criteria relating to the construction of multimicroprocessors is readily apparent. One of the major areas requiring investigation relates to the use of shared memory within the multimicroprocessor. A research vehicle, CYBA-M, has been constructed, incorporating two types of sharedmemory area, whose modes of operation are described. The programmable features of the design are indicated, together with their effects on the access characteristics of the memories. The ability to alter simply the sharedmemory access characteristics enables a designer to optimise the performance of the memories for a range of application studies. Initial performance measurements are presented for each of the shared-memory areas.