THE DELFT PARALLEL PROCESSOR IN A SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The Delft Parallel Processor is a multiple instructions/multiple data stream (MIMD) parallel computer. The system consists of eight processing elements, which can operate in parallel. The Delft Parallel Processor has been designed and built in a pure university environment (Delft University of Technology/Department of Applied Physics) and became operational in the spring of 1981. Since that time the parallel processor is used for different purposes, such as research with respect to parallel algorithms, parallel computation in problems solving and interactive parallel systems simulation. In this paper the Delft Parallel Processor is considered from a simulation point of view. The simulation — oriented set-up of the computer and the facilities for interactive modelling and experimentation on models are briefly discussed. Several aspects of simulation applications are dealt with, such as simulation of continuous systems, studying coupled excitable units, experimentation on sets of models and simulation of discrete event systems. As to continuous systems simulation, the relevant topic to be treated is the parallel implementation of differential equations; the attention is focussed on the equations segmentation method and its implementation in the Delft Parallel Processor. Simulation studies, that include the coupling of excitable units or the experimentation on sets of different models, have urged us to consider respectively the linking and retrieval of preprogrammed (sub) models. With respect to the simulation of discrete event systems we discuss the use of parallel random number generators, which have been incorporated in the Delft Parallel Processor. time.