| Machine type | RISC-based distributed memory multi-processor. |
|---|---|
| Models | C-DAC Param 10000 OpenFrame. |
| Operating system | SunOS, Sun's Unix flavour |
| Connection structure | Variable (see remarks) |
| Compilers | Fortran 77/90, C, C++ |
| Vendors information Web page | http://www.cdacindia.com/html/openframe.htm |
| Year of introduction | 2000. |
System parameters:
| Model | C-DAC Param 10000 OpenFrame |
|---|---|
| Clock cycle | 400 MHz |
| Theor. peak performance | |
| Per Proc. (Mflop/s) | 800 |
| Maximal (Mflop/s) | --- |
| Memory (per proc.) | <= 1 GB |
| No. of processors | --- |
| Comm. bandwidth | 50 MB/s, 160 MB/s, ... |
Remarks:
The PARAM systems are highly variable machines to such an extent that
they almost can be regarded as clusters. However, CDAC has developed
its own communication network and optimised MPI which gives it the
flavour of an integrated parallel machine. The maximum number of
processors is unclear although the information on the vendor's web
page suggests that systems with a peak performance of up to a Tflop/s
could be delivered. As the basic processor presently is the UltraSPARC
II processor with a clock frequency of 400 MHz, this would amount to
systems with more than 1200 processors. Such systems could communicate
through CDAC's own PARAMNet at a peak bandwidth of 50 MB/s
bi-directional, Myrinet at 160 MB/s, ATM at 155/622 Mb/s, or Fast
Ethernet. Unfortunately, there is no firm information about the
structure of PARAMNet. These different possibilities stress the
cluster character of the PARAM systems or, as CDAC expresses it, the
OpenFrame policy for its systems.
CDAC is not new in the High Performance Computing business which shows
in the software that is available for the PARAM machines. Apart from
CDAC's MPI, KSHIPRA a lightweight, low latency communication layer
based on Berkeley's Active Messages-II, performance profilers and a
parallel debugger are offered along with a complete compiler set with
Fortran 77/90, C, and C++.
The PARAM machines have been mostly sold on the internal Indian market where more than 20 systems have been installed, mostly with 8 processors. However, since July 2000 a system is placed at the Russian National Academy of Sciences in Moscow in a collaboration project between India and Russia to develop parallel applications in the area of structural analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics.
Measured Performances: No performance measurements of PARAM 10000 systems are available at all, although one would presume that they will not be very different from other UltraSPARC II-based systems using MPI for parallelisation.