Preface
The Scalable Coherent Interface
(SCI, IEEE standard 1596-1992) is currently emerging as a new
and widely discussed way of interconnecting multiple processing
nodes. Its flexibility stems mainly from its communication protocols:
in contrast to many other interconnects, SCI is not restricted
to either message based or shared memory communication models.
Instead, SCI combines both, taking advantage of similar properties
that have been investigated in such hybrid machines as Stanford's
FLASH or MIT's Alewife architecture. Since SCI provides a distributed
directory-based cache coherence protocol as well, it is up to
the computer architect to choose from a broad range of execution
models, including efficient message passing architectures as
well as shared memory models, in either its NUMA or CC-NUMA variant.
European industry and research institutions have played a key
role in the SCI standardization process. Based on SCI adapter
cards, switches and fully integrated systems manufactured by
European companies, the SCI community in Europe has done and
is doing significant developments and state-of-the-art research
on this important interconnect.
The objective of the SCI Europe
'98 Conference, which was hosted by The European Commission's
EMMSEC 98 (European Multimedia, Microprocessor Systems and Electronic
Commerce) Conference and Exhibition, was to bring together researchers
actively involved in the development and applications of SCI
technology. Through presentations and open discussions, the aim
was to exchange experiences, to review successes and setbacks,
to identify promising research directions and application domains,
to foster new collaborations, and to make SCI more widely known
in Europe.
We are pleased to have been able to select 21 high-quality papers
which were presented at the conference. These contributions cover
a wide variety of aspects pertaining to SCI architectures and
software: interconnect hardware and protocol issues, low-level
SCI software, message passing programming environments, shared
virtual memory exploiting SCI, tools, and parallel applications
on SCI systems.
Two distinguished invited speakers
presented their views on the SCI technology. David B. Gustavson
(executive director of SCIzzL), the chairman of the SCI standardization
working group, shared his insights into SCI's history, status,
and future. B. Mitchell Loebel (CEO of MultiNode Microsystems
Corporation) focused on the past, present, and future of SCI
cache coherence. He also give a tutorial on the SCI cache coherence
protocols. We are pleased that both experts from the USA accepted
our invitation to give presentations to the SCI Europe '98 delegates.
We would like to thank all
the authors as well as the Programme Committee members and reviewers
for their enthusiasm, their time and expertise, which helped
to make SCI Europe '98 become reality and a successful event.
Special thanks go to Geir Horn (SINTEF Electronics and Cybernetics,
Oslo) for taking care of the arrangements with the EMMSEC 98
conference secretariat, and to Oliver Heinz (PC², Paderborn)
who did a lot of the organizational work. Finally, we thank the
sponsors, SINTEF and the European Commission (through the Esprit
SCI Working Group SCIWG), for their financial support of the
SCI Europe '98 Conference.
Hermann Hellwagner and Alexander
Reinefeld
SCI Europe '98 Program Co-Chairs |