Reliable Communications in FTL
Ivan Kalaš · 2009
Local�area networks based on high�bandwidth packet�switching technology � such asATM� show a tremendous promise in reducing communication latencies and overheads. However � the lack of�ow�control and reliable delivery in ATM networks requires the higher protocol layers to deal with cell loss or corruption. While it is possible to use TCP�based communications over ATM � the protocol mismatch results in a signi�cant loss of the bandwidth. In addition to this� there is also a signi�cant mismatch between the stream�based communication model provided by TCP � and the message�oriented communication model required by the parallel applications. This paper describes the design and implementation of a reliable messaging layer aimed at workstation clusters using broadcast and packet�switched local area networks. 1