From: becher@MasPar.COM (Jonathan D. Becher)
Subject: MasPar Introduces High-Performance I/O
Apparently-To: uunet!comp-parallel
Keywords: MasPar, I/O, Disk Array
Organization: MasPar Computer Corp.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 00:42:43 GMT

MASPAR COMPUTER CORPORATION                                     090992.538
749 North Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Scott Humphrey (408) 736-3300                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                     MasPar Introduces High-Performance I/O

Sunnyvale, Calif., September 9, 1992 - MasPar Computer Corporation announced 
today a major advance in I/O performance for its MP-1 family of massively  
parallel processor (MPP) systems.  The new product, SuperStripe I/O,  
consists of a new high-speed I/O channel, a one Gigabyte solid state disk, 
and a new high performance disk array.
     "Today's announcement breaks one of the most difficult bottlenecks to 
MPP system throughput," said Jeff Kalb, President and CEO of MasPar. "I/O 
has traditionally been the problem no one likes to talk about. But MPP 
really puts the spotlight on the need for I/O matched to high compute 
performance.  With our new channel, solid state disk, and disk array, we 
can give our customers the highest performance and most flexible I/O system 
of any MPP supplier."

                               SuperStripe I/O

The new MasPar I/O system is capable of up to one Gigabyte per second of 
throughput to the processor array and MasPar's new SuperStripe I/O technology 
is at the center of this new level of performance. Building on the technique 
of "striping," first used broadly in disk arrays, MasPar has carried the 
concept throughout the I/O system.  Data striping starts with the new 
42 Series disk array, and extends through the 200 Megabyte per 
second channel, all the way to the solid state disk which stripes data 
between multiple memory modules and any of the 16,384 processors in the MP-1.

"While striping as a technique to build high performance peripherals from 
commodity components is well known, MasPar is the first to build a complete 
I/O system around the idea. By combining proven ideas with our contribution 
of the highest performance channel in the MPP market, we are able to deliver 
outstanding throughput all the way from external peripherals to the processor 
array," Kalb said.

                             Extremely Flexible

The combination of disk array, high speed channel, and solid state disk 
combine to provide a new set of I/O features matched to the unique 
requirements of massively parallel architectures. For example, the one 
Gigabyte I/O RAM can be used to overlap compute and I/O, as a global 
shared memory for the processor array, or as a solid state disk with standard 
UNIX file structure. In addition, as data moves to the processor array, the 
I/O system transparently performs extensive data manipulation to ensure
that the proper data arrives at the right processor in the right format.
For example, if different byte ordering is required, the I/O system 
automatically makes the conversion. All of these conversions and place-
ments are performed at the maximum speed of the I/O system - one
Gigabyte per second.

Integrating the new I/O system seamlessly into the system software and
high level languages was a major objective, and the SuperStripe I/O
system is fully integrated with both system software as well as Fortran
and C languages.

                             High Speed I/O Hardware

The new MasPar Channel I/O Controller is the central controller of the
MasPar I/O subsystem, managing transactions between the processor array
and devices attached to the 200 Megabyte per second MasPar I/O Channel.
The MasPar IORAM Modules provide a large (up to 1 Gigabyte) RAM buffer
space for I/O transactions, allowing data to be cached for transfer to
the processor array at speeds up to one Gigabyte per second. Data can
be transferred between the IORAM and other devices attached to the
Channel at speeds up to 200 Megabytes per second.

                          High-Speed Solid State Disk

Using the data-parallel UNIX I/O software, MasPar IORAM Modules can be 
configured as an NFS-mountable Solid State Disk, providing an easy-to-use, 
local high-speed storage system that can accelerate programs running on 
the MasPar system at speeds of up to one Gigabyte a second.

The MasPar Channel I/O Controller is priced at $34,000. IORAM modules 
start at $35,000 for 32 Megabytes, and $72,000 for 128 Megabytes. The 
I/O system can accommodate up to eight I/O RAM modules.  These products 
are available immediately. 

                   MasPar's High-Performance RAID Disk System

The new 42 Series MasPar Disk Array (MPDA) announced today supports the 
NFS protocol and provides a UNIX-compatible file system which can be 
accessed directly from the MP-1 or from other systems on the network via 
Ethernet or FDDI. The storage system has a sophisticated fault-tolerant 
mechanism that assures recovery from disk failures should they occur. 

The 42 Series MasPar Parallel Disk Array is available in formatted 
capacities of up to 132 Gigabytes and throughput speeds of up to 72 Mega-
bytes per second.  The MasPar array architecture is designed to scale to 
over 500 Gigabytes of storage capacity and more than 200 Megabytes per 
second throughput.

The 42 Series Arrays extends the capacity and performance range of MasPar's 
Parallel Disk Array offering, building on the experience gained with the 
first and second generation products.  To date, MasPar has shipped more 
than 50 parallel disk arrays for use with its family of massivley parallel 
computers.  Key features of the new 42 Series include:

     %	High-Performance: Up to 72 Megabytes per second peak and 
                          48 Megabytes per second sustained transfers;
     %	NFS compatibility:  Accessible from anywhere on the network;
     %	Design integrated into the entire SuperStripe I/O system, 
        enabling buffered data transfers to/from the processor array 
        at more than one Gigabyte per second;
     %	Extensions to UNIX to support a Terabyte file system 
        (UNIX limit is two Gigabytes);
     %	Disk architecture scalable to over 500 Gigabytes of data storage 
        capacity and 200 megabytes per second of throughput;
     %	Up to 132 gigabytes of data storage capacity supported immediately.

                 Sustained Performance, Pricing and Availability:
                      Breakthrough Pricing of $9.50/Megabyte

The 42 Series Parallel Disk Arrays deliver sustained performance to a 
UNIX file system of up to 48 Megabytes per second at a breakthrough 
price of $9.50 per megabyte, which further strengthens MasPar's leader-
ship position in delivering high-performance RAID disk arrays for 
massively parallel computers.  The 42 Series Parallel Disk Arrays provide 
storage capacity ranging from eleven to 132 Gigabytes, with U.S. pricing 
starting at $185,000.  The 42 Series MPDAs will be available during the 
fourth quarter of 1992.
 
MasPar Computer Corporation, founded in 1988, manufactures, markets, and 
supports affordable, high-performance massively parallel computer systems 
and associated software development tools.  MasPar systems speed up the 
solution of large and computationally-intensive problems by an order of 
magnitude at dramatic price/performance improvements over existing 
computer architectures.  Located in Sunnyvale, California, MasPar is 
a privately-held company.

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