California Institute of Technology

The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Herb S Madan

Edward T Chow

John C Peterson

A circuit switching system in an M-ary, n-cube connected network completes a best-first path from an originating node to a destination node by latching valid legs of the path as the path is being sought out. Each network node is provided with a routing hyperswitch sub-network, ('HSN') connected between that node and bidirectional high capacity communication channels of the n-cube network. The sub-networks are all controlled by routing algorithms which respond to message identification headings ('headers') on messages to be routed along one or more routing legs. The header includes information embedded therein which is interpreted by each sub-network to route and historically update the header. A logic circuit, available at every node, implements the algorithm and automatically forwards or back-tracks the header in the network legs of various paths until a completed path is latched.

Method and apparatus for eliminating unsuccessful tries in a search tree

A fault-tolerant multi-processor computer system of the hypercube type comprising a hierarchy of computers of like kind which can be functionally substituted for one another as necessary. Communication between the working nodes is via one communications network while communications between the working nodes and watch dog nodes and load balancing nodes higher in the structure is via another communications network separate from the first. A typical branch of the hierarchy reporting to a master node or host computer (50) comprises, a plurality of first computing nodes (22); a first network of message conducting paths (30) for interconnecting the first computing nodes (22) as a hypercube (28'), the first network (30) providing a path for message transfer between the first computing nodes (22); a first watch dog node (40); and, a second network of message conducting paths (34) for connecting the first computing nodes (22) to the first watch dog node (40) independent from the first network (30), the second network (34) providing an independent path for test message and reconfiguration affecting transfers between the first computing nodes (22) and the first switch watch dog node (40). There is additionally, a plurality of second computing nodes (22); a third network of message conducting paths (30) for interconnecting the second computing nodes (22) as a hypercube (28'), the third network (30) providing a path for message transfer between the second computing nodes (22); a fourth network of message conducting paths (34) for connecting the second computing nodes (22) to the first watch dog node (40) independent from the third network (30) the fourth network (34) providing an independent path for test message and reconfiguration affecting transfers between the second computing nodes (22) and the first watch dog node (40); and, a first multiplexer disposed between the first watch dog node (40) and the second and fourth networks (34) for allowing the first watch dog node (40) to selectively communicate with individual ones of the computing nodes (22) through the second and fourth networks (34); as well as, a second watch dog node (40) operably connected to the first multiplexer whereby the second watch dog node (40) can selectively communicate with individual ones of the computing nodes (22) through the second and fourth networks (34). The branch is completed by a first load balancing node (

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Marina del Rey, CA, United States of America

Herb S Madan