105 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
105 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Information on the Cray ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Supercomputer ]
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[x]11-12 [ ]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [x]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:709 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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====================================================================
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A Cray SuperComputer Comes to the University of Toronto
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By Andrew Reeves-Hall
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Cray X-MP/22 manufactured by Cray Research Incorporated (CRI) of
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Minneapolis, Minnesota was delivered and installed at the U of Toronto this
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September. The Cray is a well respected computer - mainly for its extremely
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fast rate of mathematical floating-point calculation. As the university
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states in its July/August computer magazine "ComputerNews", the Cray's
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"level of performance should enable researchers with large computational
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requirements at the university of Toronto and other Ontario universities to
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compete effectively against the best in the world in their respective
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fields."
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The Cray X-MP/22 has two Central Processing Units (CPUs) - the first
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'2' in the '22'. The Cray operates at a clock rate of 105 MHz (the regular,
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run-of-the-mill IBMPC has a clock rate of 4.77 MHz). By quick calculations,
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you would be led to believe the Cray is only about 20 times faster that the
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PC. Obviously, this is not the case. The Cray handles data considerably
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differently than the PC. The Cray's circuits permit an array of data (known
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as a 'vector') to be processes as a SINGLE entity. So, where the IBMPC may
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require several clock cycles to multiply two numbers, the Cray performs
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everything in one clock cycle. This power is measured in Millions of
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Floating Point Operations Per Second (MFLOPS) - which is to say the rate at
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which floating-point operations can be performed. The Cray MFLOPS vary as
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it does many activities, but a rate of up to 210 MFLOPS (per CPU) can be
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achieved.
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The second '2' in the X-MP/22 title refers to the two million 64-bit
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words (16Mb) of shared central memory. This can be expanded to four million
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words in the future if the need arises. But it doesn't stop there! The Cray
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can pipe information back and forth between the CPU memory and the
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Input/Output Subsystem (IOS). The IOS then takes it upon itself the store
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the information in any of the four storage devices: i) one of the four 1200
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Mb disk drives (at a rate of 5.9Mb every second), ii) one of two standard
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200ips 6250bpi tape drives, iii) a Solid State Storage Device (SSD) (which
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is much like a 128Mb RAM Disk!), or iv) through to a front-end computer
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(the U of T uses both the IBM4381 and a DEC VAX). These computers would be
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programmed (usually in FORTRAN) and the information passed onto the Cray.
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The results would then be transfered back to the front end computers.
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The 4 year old Cray was bought used from the California NASA research
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centre where it was used in aerodynamic calculations. This means less cost
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to buy it and the assurance that it has been 'burned in'. In case you
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wanted one for yourself, the U of T was able to purchase the Cray for the
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low-low price of $12 million. Over the next five years, the University
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predicts the total cost will probably be $25 million when maintenance,
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staff and other costs are taken into consideration. To help out, the
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Ontario Government put in $10 million. By doing this, all other Ontario
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University researchers are assured of access at a reduced cost. By the way,
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to buy time on the system, it'll cost you $2000 per hour. But Ontario
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researchers only have to pay 7% of that - $140 per hour. Their first
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commercial customer is OMNIBUS Graphics of Toronto who plan to use the Cray
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in the graphic videos. If you saw the movie 'The Last Starfighter', you
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will have already experienced the graphic capabilites of the Cray (remember
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the some of the space scenes!). The Cray did all of the calculations
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required for those scenes and let another graphics computer to do the
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menial task of drawing the lines and filling with the calculated colour.
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There is so much to talk about when the word 'Cray' pops to mind! If
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you are seriously interested in this amazing computer and/or you are
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interested in purchasing time on the system, please contact the people
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below:
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The Centre for Large Scale Computation at the U of T
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Llyod Parker, Director
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978-8255
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Facilities Manager
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Dr. Edmund West
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978-4085
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Supercomputer User's Group (for University Researchers, etc)
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Professor Philip Kromberg
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978-4971
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====================================================================
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