Ncr Corporation

Alan P Adamson

P Keith Muller

Kit M Chow

Michael W Meyer

Charles E Williams

Thomas M Sandison

A highly-scalable parallel processing computer system architecture is described. The parallel processing system comprises a plurality of compute nodes for executing applications, a plurality of I/O nodes, each communicatively coupled to a plurality of storage resources, and an interconnect fabric providing communication between any of the compute nodes and any of the I/O nodes. The interconnect fabric comprises a network for connecting the compute nodes and the I/O nodes, the network comprising a plurality of switch nodes arranged into more than g(log,N) switch node stages, wherein b is a total number of switch node input/output ports, and g(x) indicates a ceiling function providing the smallest integer not less than the argument x, the switch node stages thereby providing a plurality of paths between any network input port and network output port.

Highly-scalable parallel processing computer system architecture

The present invention describes a parallel processing system. The system comprises a plurality of compute nodes for executing applications via a storage application interface having system input/output calls, a plurality of I/O nodes, and a file system implemented in the compute node, for storing information mapping API system input/output calls for the data object with the globally unique identification for the data object. Each I/O node manages a communicatively coupled plurality of storage resources and each has a means for generating a globally unique identification for a data object stored on the storage resource and transmits the globally unique identification and the data object to the compute node via at least one interconnecting fabric providing communication between any of the compute node and any of the I/O nodes.

Dynamic and consistent naming of fabric attached storage by a file

A module for executing SCSI commands. The module includes a computer process, and communicates with a SCSI bus, which carries SCSI commands. Ordinarily, the SCSI commands cause specific actions in SCSI devices: for example, a given SCSI command may cause a SCSI printer to eject a sheet of paper. The module also responds to the SCSI commands, but in a manner determined by its programming, and not necessarily consistent with SCSI conventions. For example, the module may respond to the command just identified by looking up the time-of-day, and presenting the time-of-day to the SCSI bus, for any interested parties to observe.

Virtual device for performing an operation in response to a SCSI command

A Plug-and-Play (PnP) configuration driver initilization routine and PnP configuration utility for use in PCI bus architectures supporting dynamic I/O bus configurations. The PnP configuration driver includes a logical-to-physical PCI bus mapping scheme maintaining a PCI bus mapping table, and creating a logical-to-physical map table at start-of-day. PCI device drivers access devices through the logical bus numbers, thereby avoiding errors resulting when physical bus numbers change as a result of the addition or removal of buses within a computer system supporting dynamic I/O bus configurations.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Alan P Adamson