CHANNEL CLASSES: A NEW CONCEPT FOR DEADLOCK AVOIDANCE IN WORMHOLE NETWORKS

Abstract

In previous papers, we have developed the theoretical background for the design of deadlock-free adaptive routing algorithms for store-and-forward and wormhole networks. Some definitions and theorems have been proposed, developing conditions to verify that an adaptive algorithm is deadlock-free, even when there are cyclic dependencies between channels. Also, two design methodologies have been proposed. In this paper, we propose a partial order between channels as well as an equivalence relation. This relation splits the set of channels into equivalence classes. Then, we extend our previous theory by considering equivalence classes (channel classes) instead of channels. This extension drastically simplifies the verification of deadlock freedom for adaptive routing algorithms with cyclic dependencies between channels. Finally, we present an example.