XMESH interconnection network for massively parallel computers

Abstract

An XMESH is proposed as a suitable interconnection network for massively parallel computers, and the performance of the proposed interconnection network is analysed. The XMESH has the same horizontal links as those of the toroidal mesh (TMESH); however, it has diagonally crossed links instead of vertical links. The proposed XMESH shows desirable characteristics as an interconnection network for massively parallel computers as the number of nodes increases, while retaining the structural advantages of the TMESH such as the symmetric structure and constant degree of K = 4. Analytical performance evaluations show that the XMESH has a shorter diameter, a shorter mean internode distance, and a higher message-completion rate than the TMESH or the diagonal mesh (DMESH). To confirm these results, an optimal self-routing algorithm for the proposed topology is developed and is used to simulate the maximum delay, the average delay and the throughput in the presence of contention. In all cases, the XMESH is shown to outperform the TMESH and the DMESH, and can provide an attractive alternative to those networks in implementing massively parallel computers.