100 likes | 273 Views
Myrinet 2Gbps Networks (http://www.myri.com). Overview. Myrinet is a high-performance, packet-communication and switching technology that can be used to interconnect clusters of workstations, PCs, servers, or single-board computers. Cluster computing has the following advantages:
E N D
Overview • Myrinet is a high-performance, packet-communication and switching technology that can be used to interconnect clusters of workstations, PCs, servers, or single-board computers. • Cluster computing has the following advantages: • high performance • high availability • Cluster computing needs: • High throughput bulk data transfer • Low latency message passing
Myrinet’s Features • Full-duplex 2+2 Gigabit/second links, switch ports, and interface ports • Flow control, error control, and "heartbeat" continuity monitoring on every link • Low-latency, cut-through, crossbar switches, with monitoring capability • Switch networks that can scale to tens of thousands of hosts • Host interfaces that execute a control program to interact directly with host processes ("OS bypass") for low-latency communication, and directly with the network to send, receive, and buffer packets
A Possible Configuration Two computers can also be connected directly through a cable.
Packet Format and Routing Source routing An IP packet can be carried by a Myrinet packet as its payload.
Deadlocks May Form • Source routing is used. • A network mapping program needs to be run on one host to discover the map of the network. It then distributes the map to all other host interfaces.) • Cut-through switching is used to reduce message latency. (wormhole routing) • For high-performance distributed application programs, latency will be more important than throughput (because latency cannot be improved whereas throughput can be improved.) • Thus deadlock situations may form. • Myrinet thus provides a monitoring and timeout mechanism to break deadlock situations.
Myrinet Host Interface 1995 version • We can write the firmware source code, compile it, download it, and run it on the host interface!!!!
Myrinet Host Software • Myrient can use zero-copy and checksum offload capabilities to improve transfer throughput.