Generalized signals: an interrupt-based communication system for hypercubes
- Creators
- Felten, Edward E.
- Other:
- Fox, Geoffrey
Abstract
This paper describes a communication system designed to support highly asynchronous application or system software on a distributed-memory multicomputer such as a hypercube. The system is called generalized signals because it is based on the signal facility in System V UNIX, with enhancements to allow signals to carry data. Any processor can send a signal to any other processor at any time. When a signal arrives, the receiving processor traps to a user-specified subroutine; when this subroutine is finished the interrupted code is resumed. Signal interrupts happen in a controlled manner, thereby simplifying the programmer's task. There is a facility for protection of critical sections in user programs. The generalized signals system has been implemented on the NCUBE hypercube. This implementation is based on a modified version of NCUBE's VERTEX message-passing system. Generalized signals can coexist with VERTEX messages and the enhancements to VERTEX are transparent to ordinary programs.
Additional Information
© 1988 ACM.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 71065
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20161013-134906412
- Created
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2016-10-13Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field