Frontiers of Computing Systems Research: Essays on Emerging Technologies, Architectures, and Theories

380 Pages·1992·11.613 MB·English

by  Robert W. Keyes (auth.), S. K. Tewksbury (eds.)

Frontiers of Computing
Systems Research
Volume 2
Essays on Emerging Technologies,
Architectures, and Theories
A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of
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For further information please contact the publisher.
Frontiers of Computing
Systems Research
Volume 2
Essays on Emerging Technologies,
Architectures, and Theories
Edited by
S. K. Tewksbury
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Plenum Press • New York and London
ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-7034-9 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-7032-5
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4615-7032-5
© 1991 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1991
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
ADVISORY BOARD
Jacob Abraham Connie Neugebauer
University of Texas at Austin GE Corporate Research and
Development
USA
USA
Jerome Feldman
International Computer Science J. B. O'Neal
Institute North Carolina State University USA
USA
David Padua
Joachim von zur Gathen University of lllinois
University of Toronto USA
CANADA
A.P. Reeves
R. J. van Glabbeek Cornell University
Center for Mathematics and Computer USA
Science
THE NETHERLANDS Gabriel Saucier
Institute National Polyt echnique
Alfred C. Hartmann FRANCE
Microelectronics and Computer
Technology Corporation Mary Sheeran
USA University of Glasgow
UNITED KINGDOM
B. A. Huberman
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center USA Paul Solomon
T. J. Watson Research Center
Chris Jesshope
USA
University of Southampton
UNITED KINGDOM
Quentin Stout
Robert W. Keyes University of Michigan
USA
T. J. Watson Research Center
USA
Earl E. Swartzlander
Kevin Kilcoyne TRW
Rockwell International Corporation USA
USA
Stuart K Tewksbury
Israel Koren AT&T Bell Laboratories
University of Massachusetts USA
USA
Satish K. Tripathi
Ernst Mayr University of Maryland
Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitaet USA
WEST GERMANY
Paul Vitanyi
Will Moore
Centre for Mathematics and
University of Oxford
Computer Science
UNITED KINGDOM THE NETHERLANDS
Foreword
Frontiers of Computing Systems Research was established to provide roughly
annual volumes of invited chapters on a broad range of topics selected for
an interdisciplinary audience involved in computer systems research. In
vited authors, selected by the advisory board listed on the previous page,
are asked to present technical information on emerging topics in a more re
laxed and perhaps speculative style than is typical for professional society
publications.
During the preparation of this volume, I retired from AT&T Bell Labo
ratories to become more directly involved in undergraduate education. This
transition caused significant delays in the publication of this volume. I am
indebted to the authors who provided chapters of this volume for their pa
tience and understanding. This transition also made difficult the collection
of suggested unpublished technical reports and university software. The
chapters in volume 1 listing such material will be continued in volume 4.
The next volume (volume 3) of the series focuses on scientific visualiza
tion and is co-edited by Cliff Pickover of the IBM T. J. Watson Research
Laboratory. It will be published shortly. Volumes 1 and 2 have emphasized
physical issues in computing systems research. We will seek to emphasize
software issues in the volume 4, which is now being developed. Proposals
for future chapters are always welcomed, as are suggestions for improving
the format and content of the series.
Frontiers of Computing Systems Research has been phototypeset using
~TEX on a Macintosh computer using 1EX and UTEX commerical software
donated by Blue Sky Research, 534 Southwest Third Ave., Portland, OR
97204.
Stuart Tewksbury, Editor
vii
Contents
1 Limits of Information Processing Systems
R. W. Keyes 1
1.1 Introduction......... 1
1.2 Physical Nature of Systems 1
1.3 Devices ....... 9
1.4 Information Storage 27
1.5 Communication. 29
1.6 Heat Removal . 49
1. 7 Conclusion 54
References . . . 56
2 The Limitations of Interconnections in Providing Commu
nication between an Array of Points
H.M. Ozaktas and J. W. Goodman 61
2.1 Introduction... 63
2.2 Some Definitions . . . . 65
2.3 System Model. . . . . . 68
2.4 Optical Interconnections 73
2.5 Normally Conducting Interconnections 83
2.6 Repeatered Normally Conducting Interconnections 100
2.7 Superconducting Interconnections. . . . . . 107
2.8 Discussion..................... 114
2.9 Towards Unifying Physical and Algorithmic
Approaches ...... . . . . . . . 115
2.10 Summary and Conclusions. 118
A Appendix.......... 120
References . . . . . . . . . . 124
3 Optics in Multiple-Instruction, Multiple-Data
Stream Computers
E.E.E. Frietman 131
3.1 Introduction.......................... 131
3.2 Interconnection Networks for Massive Parallel Computers 139
3.3 An Electro-Optic Communication System . . . . . . 141
3.4 A Reconfigurable Optical Interconnection Protocol . 149
3.5 Fabrication Processes Suitable to Realize an OELE . 157
3.6 A New Class of Opto-Electronic Logic Elements. . . 172
3.7 Future Research in the 'DPP9X' Computer Project. 186
IX
x CONTENTS
A Appendix .............. . 189
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
4 Clouds, Computers and Complexity
P. Christie 197
4.1 Interconnection Complexity 197
4.2 Clouds and Computers . 198
4.3 Fractals and Entropy . 213
4.4 Discussion. 226
4.5 Conclusion ...... 235
References . . . . . . . 235
5 Experimental Studies of Analog Neural Networks
R.C. Frye and E.A. Reitman 239
5.1 Introduction....................... 239
5.2 Adaptive Networks and Analog Electronic Hardware 243
5.3 Optically Controlled Adaptive Network 244
5.4 Network Performance 252
5.5 Signal Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
5.6 Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
5.7 Scaling Considerations . . . . . . . . . . 266
5.8 An Application of an Analog Neural Network 270
5.9 Future Prospects for Analog Neural Networks. 286
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
6 Complex Behavior in Networks with Distributed Routing
A. Rucinski, P. Drexel, and B. Dziurla 291
6.1 Introduction................ 291
6.2 Physical Model of Distributed Networks 297
6.3 Dynamic Behavior . . . . . . . . . . 303
6.4 Phase Transition in Mesh Networks. 306
6.5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
7 New Approaches in System-Level Diagnosis
A.K. Somani and O. Peleg 317
7.1 Fault Diagnosis in Mu lti-Processor Systems 318
7.2 System-Level Diagnosis ....... . 323
7.3 Classification of Diagnosable Systems . 330
7.4 Diagnosability Algorithms . 349
7.5 Diagnosis Algorithms. . . . 353
7.6 Summary and Conclusions. 363
References . . . . . . . . . . 364
Index 369
1
CHAPTER
LIMITS OF INFORMATION
PROCESSING SYSTEMS
Robert W. Keyes
IBM Research Division
P.O. Box 218
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 USA
1.1 Introduction
The explosive increase in the power of computers through the past three
decades is well-known and well-documented; see, for example, [1,2,3]. Com
puters are systems, in the sense that they are built from a large number
of components that must all work together to attain a desired end.1 The
design and performance of such a complex system of many components
has not yet been brought under the rule of quantitative science. Indeed,
there are many aspects of system design that are matters of subjective
opinion, and upon which responsible designers differ. Here we propose to
identify widely applicable features of computer systems that are related to
the physical nature of the world, and then to inquire into the role of those
physical characteristics in limiting the size, performance, and extendibility
of computational systems.
1.2 Physical Nature of Systems
Electronic devices are at the heart of the computer revolution. Tiny
(today) switches operated by electrical signals perform the basic functions
that constitute computational logic. Improvements in these switches have
made the decrease in the cost and increase in the speed of performing logic
1 System: A complex unity fonned of many often diverse parts subject to a common
plan or serving a common purpose (Webster's Third New International Dictionary).
Frontiers of Computing Systems Research, Volume 2 1
Edited by S.K. Tewksbury, Plenum Press, New York, 1991
2 CHAPTER 1: INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEMS
operations that have persisted through decades possible. The principal di
rection of these improvements has been miniaturization, making devices
smaller and putting them closer together. Of course, a great deal of aux
iliary technology is necessary to make a collection of devices work as a
computer, and all of the other elements of a computer must be miniatur
ized too to take advantage of the miniaturization of devices and allow the
distances between them to be decreased. Thus, the history of devices for
computer logic is one of the occasional introduction of a new type of device
and a continuous story of innovations in device design and manufacturing
methods that permit a reduction of all dimensions.
Miniaturization of devices is almost invariably accompanied by a de
crease in the time in which they can operate as a switch. An obvious reason
for this is that the smaller the distance between two points the less time it
takes for a signal to travel from one to the other. From the circuit point
of view capacitance scales in proportion to dimension and the time needed
for a given current to charge a capacitance is decreased as dimensions are
reduced.
Faster operation is not the only force driving miniaturization of elec
tronics, however. Even more important to the increasing pervasiveness of
electronics in human affairs is its steadily decreasing cost. The cost of an
electronic circuit is nearly proportional to the area that it occupies on the
surface of a semiconductor. Miniaturization lowers the area and the cost.
The evolution of the area needed to store one bit of information since the
introduction of the monolithic memory chip is shown in Figure 1.1.
10°L---~--~--~---L--~~~
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Year
Figure 1.1: Miniaturization as exemplified by the area needed to store one bit
of information in a semiconductor memory. Innovations in design, in addition to
making things smaller, have contributed to the trend shown.