> Shanker :
> >*>Given Transputers which are sufficiently fast- I disagree. A Transputer
> >*>system is closer to a closely coupled system than a NOW. You CANNOT
beat the
> >*>speed of a Closely coupled system with a loosely coupled system( With
> >*>comparable hardware) .
>
> Shourya:
> Logically, you are correct. But only logically. The catch is that it is
> foolish to compare Transputers with modern day COTS hardware..because
> even the fastest of transputers do not match the average
> available hardware.. think of your own machine which I believe is a
> Celeron "overclocked" 333. I do not have the specs right now but shall
> comply on request.So you see, it is not possible to get transputers which
> are "sufficiently" fast.. they have been decommissioned . Try getting
> some to India and you will know exactly how sensitive these imports are.
Did you see the Line- 'comparable Hardware'?
> >*> They can run a far larger number of algorithms than a
> >*>NOW .
>
> Huh ?? Do you have any examples in mind ? I am not aware of any .
> Please provide evidence to hold your ground.
You are more than Welcome- This is one topic i have to give an exam on - If
you drop by I can give you Half my ACA syllabus!
> Infact there are systems like PVM, languages like Paralallaxis which do
> provide scope for 100 % MIMD design.
>
> On the contrary, I could provide you with a 1001 examples as to
> situations which can be handled by NOW but not on Transputers.
Show that please- My textbooks and teachers tell me the very opposite !
> Also, the conceptual aspect of a network of transputers is _much_ easier
> to comprehend than ,say, a WAN Architecture, complete with routers and
> their policies. {This is highly debatable though, since understanding and
> aptitude is so much a function of personal characteristics.}
I Lost you there- What is this with respect to?
> To top it all, the theoritical model behind transputers message passing
> paradigm is C.A.R. hoare's seminal work on CSP, which is marvellously
> simple (after shedding of the mathematics) as a CONCEPT, and hence the
Once you remove the mathematics from it- it loses almost everything! Try
showing any report without a solid mathematical base and justification !
> result, the transputer , too is very simple at the programming level of
> abstraction. You do not need to go into greater details to write parallel
> code.. just like you do not need to know the charge of an elctron which
> brightens up your screen, to write a GUI.
Believe me- After the analysis of Parellel Algos and their intricacies which
I/we had to _Undergo_ Not one person in my class was in a position to
walk straight!HOW did get the Idea that writing parellel code is simple? You
could have dropped in one of our ACA classes while they were going on-
Parellel Algorithims can look deceptively simple and elegant- their
intricacies are rarely apparent at a cursory look.
> In fact, the gentle learning curve in transputers and the touching
> simplicity of the model is what that still keeps Transputers and OCCAM
> going. So please do not spread FUD about the complexity of transputers,
> just because it is not taught in courses offerred by the roadside
> mushrooming computer institutes.
On the one hand you are urging everyone to shift to NOWs and on the other
hand you extoll transputers- Make up your mind- You seem confused!
> >*> Given a choice
> >*>between an 8 way system and 8 machines - I would pick the 8 way system
> >*>anyday ( As far as speed goes)
>
> I seriously would reccomend you NOT to.. if the closely coupled system is
> a T8 series . Given my experiences (I have done a modest amount of
> performance evaluation and characteristic determination on Coupled
> systems , both Transp and NOWs), it is far more efficient to stick to a
> NOW , if SPEED is your concern.Otherwise, you will be grossly
> disappointed.
>
Hey- You can't seriously seriously mean what you say - Take a 4 proc system
( a True Multiproc board please with a real interconnection network -a
hypercube/shuffle network etc .) and
take 4 m/c on a network and run - um just any app.( Not just explicitlly
parellel ones) and let me know- ( AGAIN with comparable hardware.). Don't
spread misinformation. ( take a look at Hwang and Briggs- Pg 460).
Shanker R Swaminathan
_______________________________________________________________
Student ME(CSE)
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Jadavpur University
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