Replication and Reduction in Multistage Interconnection Networks
Joseph D. Touch · 1989
: Multistage interconnection networks are conventionally composed of 2x2 switching elements which perform only permutation functions. A number of networks have been built which provide more powerful switch functions involving replication and reduction of information, including the NYU Ultracomputer and several copy networks. Here we investigate these machines as a group, to see how replication and reduction are interrelated, and what other issues they involve. * This work supported by Bell Communications Research (Morristown, NJ), under the DAWN Project. 2 1. Introduction Multistage interconnection networks are composed of series of stages of regularly connectioned switching elements (usually 2x2). In conventional architectures, these networks support only permutation functions in their switch elements, although several notable exceptions have capitalized on other switch functions. These include the reduction capability of the NYU Ultracomputer [GotGK83] and the replication capabilit...