Spanning multiaccess channel hypercube computer interconnection

A distributed computer system based on a hypercube topology is proposed, where multiaccess channels spanning all dimensional axes provide processor interconnection. The multiprocessor system can be built at relatively low cost by combining the recent advances in high-capacity channels available through fiber optics, and demand-assignment multiple-access protocols, creating a highly fault-tolerant system with good average packet delay and average distance characteristics, at a significantly reduced cost. A totally distributed system has been achieved in which the packets are self-routing, able to take advantage of the multiple paths of equal length between two modes. The proposed structure gives a highly fault tolerant system, degrading gracefully in the presence of failures