The Atomic Lan

Abstract

ATOMIC is an inexpensive O(gigabit) speed LAN built by USCASL it is based upon MOSAIC technology developed for fine-grain, message-passing, massively parallel computation. Each MOSAIC processor is capable of routing variable length packets, while providing added value through simultaneous computing and buffering. ATOMIC scales linearly, with a small interface cost. Each ATOMIC channel has a data carrying capacity of 640Mb/s. A prototype ATOMIC LAN has been constructed along with host interfaces and software that provides full TCP/IP compatibility. Using ATOMIC, 1,500 byte packets have been exchanged between hosts at a rate of more than WM. Other tests have demonstrated throughput of 2.6 million packets per second between two hosts. This paper describes the architecture and performance of ATOMIC.