networking options

[Richard Walsh]

Matt Pratola wrote:

>Of course each app is different, but i'm interested more in high
>throughput/low latency as it cannot harm apps which don't require this,
>but is absolutely necessary for apps which do require this level of
>performance.  In this regard, myrinet is certainly the one i've heard the
>most about, but that doesn't preclude something else which is new and/or
>better.

OK. Your most obvious choices in 2002 with rough performance estimates
(these are generally better-than MPI numbers) are:

       Technology		~Best Case Bandwidth	~Hardware Latency

    1. Fast Ethernet*		   ~10 Mbytes/sec	~50-75  usecs
    2. Channel Bonded FE	~20-25 Mbytes/sec	~50-75  usecs
    3. Gigabit Ethernet*	~60-110 Mbytes/sec	~50-200 usecs
    4. Channel Bonded GE	~????? Mbytes/sec	~50-200 usecs
    5. SCI             		~150-200 Mbytes/sec	~4-8	usecs
    6. Myrinet         		~200-250 Mbytes/sec	~7-10   usecs
    7. Quadrics**      		~300 Mbytes/sec		~4-5    usecs

    8. Cray T3E 		~200-400 Mbytes/sec	~1-2	usecs

    *  GAMMA MPI can improve latencies signficantly.
    ** Quadics claims 700 Mbytes/sec in 2003 (dual rail?)

Does not include less convention/available things like Infiniband or
Fiber Channel. 

These data are from memory and subject to varification and refinement.
You can check on proce-performance and scaling issues.

Hope this helps,

rbw
#---------------------------------------------------
# Richard Walsh
# Project Manager, Cluster Computing, Computational
#                  Chemistry and Finance
# netASPx, Inc.
# 1200 Washington Ave. So.
# Minneapolis, MN 55415
# VOX:    612-337-3467
# FAX:    612-337-3400
# EMAIL:  rbw at networkcs.com, richard.walsh at netaspx.com
#         rbw at ahpcrc.org
#
#---------------------------------------------------
# "What you can do, or dream you can, begin it;
#  Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
#                                  -Goethe
#---------------------------------------------------
# "Without mystery, there can be no authority."
#                                  -Charles DeGaulle
#---------------------------------------------------
# "Why waste time learning when ignornace is
#  instantaneous?"                 -Thomas Hobbes
#---------------------------------------------------
# "In the chaos of a river thrashing, all that water
#  still has to stand in line."    -Dave Dobbyn
#---------------------------------------------------