Multiprocessor system

Abstract: A parallel computer system is disclosed comprising a plurality of high level processors joined together using a cross-point or cross-bar switch. The system includes an adapter between each processor and the switch. Protocol processing to drive the switch, transfer pages and schedule transmissions between the processor is performed by the adapter. The protocol use the notion of typed or tagged buffer management that allows a client to bind the semantics of a message being sent or received. These semantics specify behaviours in the protocol when message packets depart or when they arrive.

Description: This invention relates to a multiprocessor system and more particularly to an apparatus and method that permits one processor to address and access the storage that exists on another processor. A well-known technique for increasing the work throughput of a processing system is to divide up the work into a plurality of processes and coupling the separate processes to separate processors each handling a part of the process. Parallel processing using either few processors or thousands of processors requires some form of communication between the processors. There are many types of systems such as shared storage where the processors share common storage or distributed systems where the processors each have part of the global storage. There are various types of coupling from tightly coupled to loosely coupled. The coupling can be a LAN, a cross-point or cross bar switch, a nearest neighbour, hierarchical, hypercube, etc. In all of these systems latent inefficiencies and overhead in communication slow down performance of the system. EP-A-0391583 discloses a dual path computer interconnect system using packet data transmission over serial links connecting a plurality of nodes of a network. An adapter couples a CPU at a node to the serial link. The serial links are connected to a central hub (which may function as a cross-bar switch). It is desirable and an object of this invention to reduce this overhead and provide a method and apparatus of highly efficient message passing requiring radically different communication patterns, characteristics and resources. while there exists systems to parallel a few high level processors or massively parallel low level processors (such as in Hellis US 4,598,400) there is need for paralleling high level processor with improved and flexible communications between these high level processors. Further, some means must be provided for generating and scheduling work requests. A system using a large number of high level processors such as IBM's RS/6000 is desirable for handling large, complex problems such as for intensive engineering and scientific applications. (RS/6000 is a trademark of IBM Corporation). The invention provides a distributed memory digital computing system according to claim 1. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention a parallel computer system has a plurality of independent computers each with their own memory connected to each other by a network. An adapter is coupled between the network and each independent computer such that there is a pair of adapters between each pair of computers. The adapters include a processor and memory. An application defines a name space in memory and a tag that specifies how the space will be used (semantics) in order to establish a communication path between processors. Data is sent from one adapter memory to another, using the information defined in the class established by the application. In the drawing: Figure 1 is an overall block diagram of the system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 illustrates architecture layers. Figure 3 illustrates message flow. Figure 4 shows format of message packet. Figure 5 illustrates the adapter. Figure 6 illustrates operation of WPI. Figure 7 is a flow diagram of MCM processing. Figure 8 is a Table of Class - attribute matrix. Referring to Figure 1 there is illustrated a parallel processing system design for numerically intensive engineering and scientific applications in accordance with one embodiment in the present invention. The system 10 comprises 60 RS/6000 microprocessor nodes 19 1 -19 60 , each with its own RS/6000 processor, memory arid disk storage 22 linked to each other by a cross-point switch 23 such as an IBM 9032 Enterprise Systems Connection Director (ESCD) optical switch. A more detailed description of the switch and the protocols is found in our European Patent Application EP-A-0 425 777. The inputs and outputs of this switch are serial fibre optic. Link frame messages are decoded to control the appropriate switches. This switch 23 is linked to a host processor 11 such as a 3090 system via high speed channel 13 (HSC) which connection is described in the previously mentioned Patent Application. This high speed connection may also be performed by a HIPPI switch. Information is passed by operating the host processor with paging instructions of unique page addresses designated for an extended channel as described in the above cited co-pending patent application. A user interface 12 inputs programs and instructions to the host and receives its output from the system. Also connected to the host is a mass storage 14 for storing data and programs to be loaded into processor node storage for execution. The host is coupled to one of the RS/6000 processor nodes 19 60 via a buffer 15 and HSC 13 and a translation adapter card 17 which converts AIX/370 architecture to microchannel as described in our European Patent application EP-A-0 468 701. The RS/6000 processor node 19 60 is a supervisor that divides up the work among the other processors and feeds answers back to the host. An adapter 21 1 -21 60 is coupled between each processor node 19 1 -19 60 and the cross-point switch 23. This adapter allows any processor to communicate with any other processor under software control. A redundant host access and supervisor link made up of elements 15 1 , 17 1 , 19 1 and 21 1 is also provided. One path may be used to transmit from the host while the other couples return signals to the host. Individual processors at nodes 19 1 -19 60 work on different parts of a complex computation, and by exchanging intermediate results with other processors at the other nodes, arrive at the complete solution. The programming interface to the system can be for example enhanced clustered FORTRAN running in an AIX environment on each microprocessor node 19 1 -19 60 . Migration of existing applications is enhanced by the use of easily understood programming constructs and a standard operating environment. The software components of this system are the Enhanced Clustered FORTRAN facilities, a job manager, a file access mechanism, a performance monitor which monitors utilization of the system and provides reports to the user interface, a file access mechanism which assists in servicing calls, and a debugger. The system uses AIX/370 on the host platform 11 and AIX 3.1 on the microprocessors 19 1 -19 60 . The Enhanced Clustered FORTRAN language provides additions to FORTRAN for creating and executing parallel processes, for interprocess communication, and for process coordination. The job manager, which runs on the host 11, provides AIX services for compiling, executing, debugging, clearing, and cancelling jobs. The file server, or file access mechanism, allows applications to access host files and return computed results to the users directory. The performance monitor facilitates program debugging and optimization by providing graphical analysis of hardware and software functions. An adapter 21 is coupled between the micro channel and the cross-point switch which in the example is again AIX/370 channel. Similarly between each microprocessor 19 and the switch 23 is the new serial channel adapter 21. Each of the RS/6000 nodes 19 has one memory section for local memory and a second section of memory for global access. The architecture of the system 10 is layered and follows the hardware in systems structures of the new serial channel adapter, the RS/6000 and the AIX operating system. See Figure 2. Also see Figure 3 which illustrates the message flow across interfaces. The new serial adapter 21 has its own processor which is, for example, an i960 processor of INTEL. The architecture has five layers: the top layer provides a system level application program interface (API) for transport and network protocols. This is located in each of the processors at nodes 19 1 -19 60 . This layer provides functions for "binding" and "unbinding" a client or application, sending and receiving messages as well as other functions that are required by the application. The second layer is the device driver. This is also located in the RS/6000 processor 19 1 -19 60 . In the embodiment shown there is an adapter driver 21 for each processor 19. In other embodiments there may be separate adapters for each processor 19 1 -19 60 . All adapters 21 attach to the local processors (RS6000 in this example) managed by one device driver. This device driver in each processor 19 1 -19 60 runs in an AIX kernel in both process and interrupt context. It manages the hardware interface and data structure between the API and the NSCA adapter. This includes attaching to the bus, flushing the cache in the RS/6000, servicing interrupts, chaining/dechaining and managing kernel-resident queues. It translates message packets into work packets to be handled by the API and adapter respectively and vice versa. The client produces and consumes message packets (as peer communications) and the adapter driver 21 produces and consumes work packets. A work packet is a generalized request for service exchanged between the device driver and the adapter driver. In general, one send message or one receive message will generate one work packet and vice versa. Message packets are of three types depending on the amount of data they carry. These packet types are antegram packets, datagram messages, and buffer messages. (Referring to Figure 4, there is shown the format of a message with a header, a datagram and a buffer). An antegram packet is a message packet which contains no data. The antegram packet contains only the protocol header which is a short block of instructions and control information. Datagram messages and buffer messages contain the protocol header as well as data. Datagram messages carry a maximum of thirty-five bytes of data, while buffer messages carry up to one page of data. The protocol allows page length to be up to 64K bytes. Datagram messages and buffer messages are queued and must be handled by the device driver in the order in which they are received. Antegram packets, however, can be handled ahead of all other pending messages, in such priority as requested in the protocol header. The work packets comprise three types: pure, ordinary and complex or two-phase. Pure work packets consist of a call to interrupt service routine (ISR). Ordinary work packets, like pure work packets, contain a call to an ISR but also contain a control block of instructions and control information to be performed by the receiving element. This may be a device driver in 19 or adapter driver 21, whichever the case may be. Ordinary work packets are, for example, 28 bytes, and correspond to antegram and datagram message packets, which are generated and processed by the API. Work packets include a protocol header and 4 bytes of flag information. Complex or two-phase work packets consist of ordinary work packets in a transfer of data over the microchannel interface between devices. With two-phase work packets, data transfer occurs in a separate, later phase from one in which control information is exchanged, hence the name "two phase". The third layer is the adapter driver in adapter 21 which runs entirely outboard of the processor as a program in adapter itself. It schedules buffer packets for departure and arrival on the fibre through the work packets. It interprets the semantics of buffer attributes and arranges all transfers to and from the host system virtual storage. Referring to Figure 5, the adapter includes a work packet interface 70 which is a system of queues. Each structure in the WPI is, in turn, divided into three substructures: one for work packets bound for the adapter driver (outbound), one for work packets bound for the device driver (inbound), and one for passing acknowledgement proscriptions from the device driver to the adapter driver. The WPI structures reside in a storage resource shared by both the device driver and the adapter driver. See Figure 6. Work packets are serviced in the following manner. The adapter driver polls the WPI outbound structures and schedules the services requested for any work packets found. In contrast, the device driver receives the first of its work packets by ISR (Interrupt Service Routine) and the rest during the same interrupt cycle. Typically, a call will be made to the device driver's ISR, then the work packet is read out of the WPI structure(s) and processed sequentially. When a device driver sends out a work packet, it can proceed in a couple of ways. On behalf of the client, the device driver can behave synchronously and spin-wait until a first-level acknowledgement (FACK) is returned. Alternatively, the device driver may behave asynchronously by delivering several work packets in pipelined fashion over the WPI without waiting for the FACKs. The device driver can also request a transmit complete acknowledgement (i.e., a pure work packet) to indicate when the data has been moved from the host system or it may request a second-level acknowledgement (SACK) to indicate when the data has been transmitted to the receiving node. A SACK is an ordinary work packet dispatched to the source LSP client as an antegram message. This invention thus permits both the synchronous and asynchronous modes of operation. The fourth layer is a link protocol layer in adapter 21. It implements the link and device protocols of the serial switch. Microchannel Interface Controller MIC transfers are staged through two staging buffer pools, one for sending message packets outbound to another PE, one for receiving message packets inbound from another PE. They are called transmit (xmit) and receive (recv) buffers respectively. The data associated with a message must (1) be on or within a pinned page boundary in AIX virtual storage and (2) not be accessed until the device driver has "freed" the page. The adapter driver issues a data transfer command to the MIC at an indeterminate time after a work packet has been queued. Thus, sending a message, for example, a client could well return from the API before the adapter driver has even transferred the data to its xmit buffer pool. The buffer attributes and the queuing discipline determine the actual data movement. Once the data has been transferred, the adapter driver sends a pure work packet to the device driver to free the page. The adapter driver also implements the routing semantics of the quadruple address (PE,channel,peck-unit,buffer-id). On sending and receiving, it interprets (*,*,peck-unit,buffer-id) in the message per the attributes the client binds in advance. On sending, it maps (PE,channel,*,*) to a physical port number on the switch. This port number is then used to direct a connection through the switch. Below the adapter driver is the link protocol driver. It runs entirely in the MCM engine on the NSCA. It implements the link and device protocols of the serial switch. It creates/breaks switch connections, packs/unpacks LSP packets through switch frames, and sends/receives these packets through the xmit and recv buffers scheme as device packets. A buffer packet is a generalized strategy for exchanging information between the adapter driver and the link protocol driver. The interface between the i960 and the MCM is through a shared region in the local data store (LDS) or local processor store (LPS). This shared region holds three metadata variables: (1) a next_recv_avail variable that points to the next available receive buffer, (2) a next_xmit_avail variable that points to the next available transmit buffer and (3) an up interlock turn variable which says who (i960 or MCM) is allowed to update the next xmit/recv variable pointers. The xmit/recv buffers form a circular list data structure which is in LDS and the metadata can be in either LDS or LPS. The next variables actually contain head and tail subfields. Either the adapter driver is up or the link protocol driver is up. When the adapter driver is up, it is busy, say, scanning the peck interface. When it quiesces, it writes the link protocol driver's value into the interlock and continues. When the adapter driver does this, it agrees not to update the next variables -- from its perspective, the state of those variables quiesces. When the link protocol driver is up, this means that it can update the next variables freely. It also means that it can accept outbound deliveries (if there are any) or that it can accept inbound deliveries (if there are any). If the link protocol driver does not have any work to do, i.e., no outbound or inbound deliveries, it quiesces by writing the adapter driver's value into the interlock. Like the adapter driver earlier, doing so, it agrees not to update the next variables. During the quiescent state, the adapter driver will be doing possibly three things. One is pushing the received data back to system memory through the MIC from the recv buffers. Another is pulling send data from system memory through the MIC to the xmit buffers. Finally, it may scan the peck interface, processing work packets as necessary. When the adapter driver is up, it gathers the state of the xmit/recv buffers. It then quiesces and continues processing the three items mentioned above. Thus, the adapter driver is in the idle state if (1) no more than one item is ahead in the send queue and (2) it is up. In the quiescent state, the link protocol driver may be doing possibly two things: sending or receiving data. Like the adapter driver, during the up state, it gathers the xmit/recv data and then quiesces. In the quiescent state the link protocol driver can accept exactly n incoming deliveries until it is up again. The value n is the number of available recv buffers. The head component is advanced by the link protocol driver when it is up. The tail component is advanced by the adapter driver when it is up. A detailed picture of MCM processing is shown in Figure 7. An analogous algorithm can be constructed for the i960. In this communications management system, an application defines a name space (buffer) in available memory and a tag that specifies the class of how the name space will be used (semantics) in order to establish a communication path between logical processors. The semantics are bound to the name space until such time as the application changes the tags associated with the buffer or releases the buffer. From an application perspective, data is sent from one logical buffer to another, using the information defined in the class established by the application. It is done by hardware external from the logical processor freeing the processor from handling communication interrupts. The logical processor invokes the functions of the communications manager and in a group of cooperating and communicating logical processors each processor must have a unique identifier. The external or outboard hardware hides low level interface details from the processor, creates low level headers, generates low level function calls, breaks page-size blocks of data from the application into media-specific frames, and maps class characteristics to the name spaces (buffers). It will schedule and cache inbound and outbound transmissions with respect to the buffer semantics statically configured by the application. It manages the buffer pool and implements all queueing. The communication manager will queue inbound and outbound data requests in an n-deep FIFO queue. There is one queue per destination. Data itself is not queued, only the requests for data. Requests are dequeued in accordance with receive attributes of name space (buffer). In this way ordering is preserved and destination busy conditions are eliminated at the source. An attribute is a static value which describes a specific name space characteristic, e.g., a buffer attribute may specify a "send" or "receive" characteristic. The class is a set of attributes made available to the application that reflects a logical way the hardware will manage the buffer. See Figure 8. There is a finite number of pre-defined classes (attribute sets). These classes cannot be altered by the application, but the application can change the class of any buffer that it controls. To ensure efficient communications, applications cannot define other combinations of attributes. In this section, we describe the concept of buffers and buffer management. The system uses several kinds of buffers. Those that are used for internal purposes are transparent to the client. Examples of these include the auxiliary xmit/recv buffers, buffers maintained for unsolicited receives, etc. From a client's point of view, a buffer is a logical storage resource used for sending and receiving data. For these purposes, a buffer is addressed by the logical pair, (peck-unit,buffer-id). A client defines (1) the name space of a buffer and (2) the tag that specifies the name's semantics. These semantics remain bound until the client either changes the tags or unbinds the name. The attributes specify well defined behaviours for system when messages are sent or received. The (peck-unit,buffer-id) pair is a logical address. At some point, this pair must be bound to physical storage. This design supports both late and early binding. These are the two major buffer classes. If the binding is early (and by implication, static) buffer's attribute is persistent. Persistent buffers behave like shared memory. There is a one-to-one mapping from the (peck-unit, buffer-id) pair to the physical storage. Local sends and receives on a buffer with this attribute behave like local accesses and updates. Remote sends and receives behave like remote accesses and updates. In this sense, the data (and the name mapping) persists. If the binding is late (and by implication dynamic), the buffer's attribute is nonpersistent. Nonpersistent buffers behave like n-deep FIFO links. There is potentially a one-to-many mapping from the (peck-unit, buffer-id) pair to physical storage. Sends and receives on a buffer of this attribute are queued outbound to or inbound from a remote PE. The data does not persist. The buffer with a receive-type attribute can receive data from a remote PE. It cannot be used to send messages. There are three distinct receive attributes. These attributes specify when and how to deliver a receive notification. A receive notification is a "signal" sent to the destination client that a message has been received for it. If the attribute is receive-through, the notification is sent for each arriving message. If ten messages arrive, ten calls to the notification routine are scheduled. If the attribute is receive-delayed, only one notification is sent for a block of messages. The block size is determined by the number of work packets created by the adapter driver in a single interrupt cycle. If three messages arrive in one interrupt, and seven in another, two calls to the notification routine are scheduled. These two attributes represent a heuristic trade-off between throughput and response. High performance clients that perform their own buffer management will select one of these attributes. If the attribute is receive-polled, no notifications are sent. The client must "poll" for its messages by calling the API function, lsp_recv. This attribute is useful for low performance clients that do not perform their own buffer management. Here, this system's internal buffers are used and memory-to-memory copies move that data from kernel memory to the client's memory. A buffer with a send-type attribute can be used to send data to a remote PE. It cannot be used to receive messages. There are three distinct send attributes. These attributes specify when and how to deliver a transmit notification (XTN). An XTN is a "signal" sent to a source client when the message's data page is accessible again. If the buffer attribute is send-through, an XTN is sent after each page has been DMA'd to an xmit buffer on the adapter. At this point, a client may deallocate the page or use it to send another message. An XTN does not mean that the message has left the system, however. Another facility, SACK are used for that purpose. If the buffer attribute is send-delayed, only one XTN is sent after for a block of pages that have been DMA'd. The size of the block depends on the messages that can be dispatched through adapter driver. Again, these two attributes represent a heuristic trade-off between response and throughput. If the buffer attribute is send, an XTN is not sent at all. This attribute is useful for clients that perform their own buffer management. Here, for example, client-level acknowledgements are used to notify when pages are free. The semantics of adapter-only specify primarily whether the buffer is to be allocated in LDS adapter space of AIX virtual memory. The semantics of fetchable attribute specify whether the buffer can be accessed remotely by another adapter driver. The buffer must be in the fetchable valid state. That is, the data in a buffer is fetchable only if the data in the buffer is valid. A client can remotely access another client's fetchable buffer using the API request-to-send call. Some buffer attributes have semantics when combined and others do not. A buffer must be either persistent or nonpersistent. It cannot be both. Moreover, a buffer must have a send-only type, a receive-only type or a send-receive combination type. A buffer without one of these six attribute combinations is meaningless. The fetchable attribute implies the buffer is also persistent. The same is true for the adapter-only attribute. A buffer, for instance, cannot be fetchable (or adapter-only) and nonpersistent. Antegrams are formally storageless message packets. They require no buffer resources but are processed within this class-attribute paradigm in any event.

Claims: A distributed memory digital computing system comprising: (a) a plurality of processing units (19) wherein each processing unit includes: a local processor; an external communication path (13) permitting unrestricted continuous access by said processing unit; a local memory (22) for the storage and retrieval of data and commands by the local processor; and an adapter interface (21) for connecting said local processing unit to said external communication path; (b) a cross-point switch (23) for connecting said processing units by means of said external communication paths; (c) a storage device (14) for storing data and operations to be acted upon by said digital computing system; (d) a host computer (11) for providing a user interface and access to said storage device; and (e) a host communication path for permitting communication between at least one of said processing units and said host computer; characterised in that the local memory includes a global memory portion accessible by at least one other processor which is external to the processing unit, and characterised in that the adapter interface includes means for storing requests for data transfers from said local memory to other processing units and including means for directly accessing requested data in the global memory portion of the local memory in response to a request from at least one other processor without intervention of the local processor. A distributed memory digital computing system according to claim 1, wherein application programs can define one or more buffers in said local memory, at or prior to runtime, including defining types and attributes of the'buffers which determine responses to a message written to or read therefrom. Distributed memory digital computing system according to claim 1 wherein each local processor memory is accessible only by commands issued from a local processor communications adapter comprising an adapter processor, adapter storage comprising a first data structure for storing a pending local processor work request, a second data structure for storing a pending adapter processor work request, a write indicator for detecting when a local processor work request is written to said first data structure, means responsive to the write indicator for generating and transmitting a local processor work request signal to said local processor signifying the pendency and location in said adapter storage of local processor work request, means responsive to said work request signal and to said local processor for retrieving said work request from said first data structure, and means responsive to the adapter processor for polling said second data structure for transmitting said adapter processor work request to said adapter processor, the external communication path means being responsive to said adapter processor and said adapter processor work request for transmitting said work request over said external communication path.

Inventors: BELLO STEPHEN EDWARD, COLEMAN JOHN JOSEPH, COLEMAN RONALD GERALD, HATTERSLEY JOHN ROBERT, HUA KIEN ANH, MONROE OWEN KEITH, PRUETT DAVID RAYMOND, ROLLO GERALD FRANKLIN, STUCKE ROBERT FREDERICK, VANDERBECK ELIZABETH ANNE, BELLO, STEPHEN EDWARD, COLEMAN, JOHN JOSEPH, COLEMAN, RONALD GERALD, HATTERSLEY, JOHN ROBERT, HUA, KIEN ANH, MONROE, OWEN KEITH, PRUETT, DAVID RAYMOND, ROLLO, GERALD FRANKLIN, STUCKE, ROBERT FREDERICK, VANDERBECK, ELIZABETH ANNE
Applicants: IBM, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G06F15
IPC codes: G06F15