VLSI based design principles for MIMD multiprocessor computers with distributed memory management
Lars Philipson · ACM SIGARCH Computer Architecture News · 1984
Design principles for MIMD multiprocessor computers with virtual memory based on a common, global and uniform logical address space, supporting parallel, procedural languages such as Ada (Ada is a registered trademark of the US Government, AJPO), are discussed. The major design issues are identified and suggested solutions given, the most important of which are distributed, associative address translation, and local mechanisms supporting efficient resource allocation policies to reduce over-all communication costs. Arguments are given for using shared memory and bus-based global communication. Some preliminary studies of bus-based intercommunication schemes, parallel language implementation, capacity simulation and VLSI implementation are reviewed, as well as a number of existing experimental and commercial multiprocessors. Finally an experimental system for evaluation of different mechanisms and policies in systems of the suggested type is outlined.