Overcoming performance limitations in Gbit/s network interfaces to RISC workstations
David A. Cunningham, Nick Wainwright · 1992
The rapid increase in workstation and file server performance, combined with new uses that are now possible, is making demands on network interfaces, links, and media that exceed the capabilities of current components. For example, arrays of high performance workstations can be interconnected with high-speed networks to provide vast computational power at a fraction of the cost of a mainframe. These systems can be effective for many nonvectorisable problems.1 To be cost effective, the networks and interfaces must be implemented using simple low-cost components, and unnecessary processing at each layer must be eliminated.