{\bf
MEIKO
}

\noindent
{\bf
Parallel MIMD Architecture 
}

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\noindent
Meiko was founded in 1985 to exploit the availability of low-cost, 
high-performance microprocessors to build parallel
computers.  Its first product, ``The Computing Surface,'' is a
flexible parallel computer based on the Inmos transputer.  The
company founders include those originally responsible for
transputer implementation at Inmos with combined expertise in VLSI
processor design, system design, compiler writing, and application
programming.

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\noindent
{\bf Architecture:}
The Computing Surface is an MIMD parallel processor.  The
number of processors in a system is variable, with no upper
limit.  Entry level systems have 4 processors;  the largest
operational machine to date has 300.

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\noindent
The basic compute node has the following specification:

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\begin {tabular} { l l}
Processor &          20 MHz IMS T800, T414 processor.\\
Memory    &          4 Kbytes high-speed on-chip memory\\
          &               tightly coupled to processor.\\
          &               1M, 2M, 4M, 8M, 16M, 32M, 48M byte\\
          &               error-checked local memory.  Direct \\
          &               mapped memory.\\
Floating point&      IEEE standard, single and double length.\\
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
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\noindent
Communication between nodes is by high-performance serial links.
Connectivity is flexible and may be manually or electronically
configured.  Manual configuration requires the use of a patch
panel to wire up configuration.  Electronic configuration
establishes required connectivity for a given program
automatically.  Four point-to-point links per processor allow various
topologies such as rings, grids, low-order hypercubes, and
pipelines to be constructed.  Microcoded communications
instructions in the processor give very low set-up costs for
message transfers.

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\noindent
Communication performance is as follows:

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Baud rate &     10 Mbits/s, 20 Mbits/s\\
Data rate &     2.8 Mbytes/s full duplex\\
          &          1.7 Mbytes/s unidirectional (20 Mbits/s)\\
\end{tabular}
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\noindent
{\bf Configuration:}
Machine may be hosted from VAX, microVAX, Sun workstation, or
IBM PC.  Self-hosted systems are also available.  Basic system has
dual RS232 lines plus GPIB interface as standard.  Additional
peripherals may be added with appropriate controller boards.
Controller boards share common architecture with compute nodes and
use same processor.

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\noindent
Available boards:

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\begin{center}
\begin {tabular} { l l}
Mass store &     4 Mbytes/s DMA SCSI interface, T800\\
            &         or T414 processor, 8 Mbytes RAM.  Allows\\
             &        any SCSI peripheral to be connected.\\
              &       Range of SCSI devices available includes\\
               &      disk drives up to 600 Mbyte capacity and\\
                &     various tape and cartridge drives.\\
Graphics &       Programmable graphics controller.\\
          &           Supports various screen formats.\\
           &          Maximum pixel rate 110 MHz.  PAL/NTSC\\
            &         broadcast quality graphics available.\\
             &        2 Mbyte video memory, configurable as 8\\
              &       or 24 bits per pixel.  T800, T414 local\\
               &      processor. 4 Mbytes local memory.\\
Frame Grabber &  1 Mbyte dual ported frame store.  Inputs\\
               &      RGB/monochrome.  Sample rate up to\\
                &     80 MHz, line rate up to 70 kHz.  Local\\
                 &    T800, T414 processor.\\
Data Port  &     T800 or T414 based processing node with\\
            &         0.5 Mbytes dual ported memory and\\
             &        80 Mbytes/sec parallel I/O port.\\
Local Host   &   System processor self-hosted systems.\\
             &        T800 processor with 8 Mbytes local memory.\\
              &       Ethernet interface, DMA SCSI interface\\
               &      and dual RS232 ports.

\end{tabular}
\end{center}
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\noindent
{\bf Software:}
Basic, remote hosted systems run the Meiko Development System,
MDS.  This provides editor, parallel linker and loader, and run-time 
monitor for a single-user system.  Multi-user capability
available under MVCS, Meiko Multiple Virtual Computing Surfaces,
which allows the machine to be partitioned into multiple
independent domains.  Self-hosted systems under beta test use UNIX-like 
environment and file system.

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\noindent
{\bf Languages available:}
C, FORTRAN 77, PASCAL, and OCCAM II.

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\noindent
{\bf Fortran characteristics:}
FORTRAN 77 is standard and does
not require vectorizing.  Various parallelization strategies are
used depending on data parallelism available in the problem.

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\noindent
{\bf Applications:}
Current applications running on Computing Surfaces include
finite-element analysis, lattice gauge theory simulations,
ray tracing, molecular modelling, seismic data processing,
reservoir simulation, image processing, and fingerprint
recognition.

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\noindent
{\bf Performance:}
Integer performance of T800- and T414-based machines is
10 mips per node.  Floating-point intensive applications
require T800 processors, with 1.5 Mflops achievable in 32-bit
floating-point arithmetic.  LINPACK benchmark on a
single node yields 0.5 Mflops in single precision.

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\noindent
{\bf Status:}
First machine installed March 1986.   Installed user base as
of March 1988 is 120 machines.  Largest machine to data is
Edinburgh Concurrent Supercomputer, at the University of
Edinburgh, which when fully populated will have 1 Gflop of
processing power and 4 Gbytes main store.  Other customers
include GE;  Automation and Robotics Research Institute,
Fort Worth, Texas; and several UK universities.

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\noindent
Price
dependent on configuration.  Entry level systems from around
\$30,000.

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\noindent
{\bf Contact:}
\begin{flushleft}
Meiko Limited\\
650 Aztec West\\
Bristol BS12 4SD\\
England\\
0454 616171  Fax (0454) 618188\\


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Meiko Scientific Corp.\\
400 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 523\\
South San Francisco, CA 94080\\
415-952-9900   Fax 415 952 7092\\

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Contact:  Moray McLaren (England)\\
\end{flushleft}

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