Patent ID: 6910108

Claim:
A multiprocessor computer system capable of being partitioned into one or more independently functioning processing systems comprising: a plurality of processing nodes, each node including memory which is accessible locally by the node associated with said memory and remotely by any other node; a shared, distributed system memory; a communications pathway which interconnects said plurality of processing nodes, each node capable of operating independently, wherein each one of said processing nodes includes at least one processor and a portion of said shared system memory coupled to said processor and said communication pathway, and wherein said communication pathway is comprised of a central hardware device including tag and address means to communicate the identification of data transactions being processed through the system connected to said plurality of processing nodes, said tag and address means including means to store information related to the identification of a partition to which said data is associated, said central hardware device storing information for determining which nodes are storing copies of data which is associated with a given partition; means to define one or more partitions to which one or more of said nodes are a member; and means to associate each data transaction processed in the system to direct data only to such nodes defined as within the same partition of said data, including dispatch means which interconnect with said ports but allow communications with said ports only for data transactions defined for a partition for which said port is a member.