Analysis of timeout-based adaptive wormhole routing

Although many adaptive routing algorithms have been proposed for wormhole-routed networks, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the factors that affect their potential performance before they can be widely adopted in commercial multicomputers. This paper proposes a new analytical model of an adaptive routing algorithm proposed by Duato (see Future Generation Computer Systems vol.10, no.10, p.45-58, 1994). The main feature of this routing algorithm is the use of a timeout mechanism to select a particular class of virtual channels at a given router. This has the advantage of reducing virtual channels multiplexing, leading to improvement in network performance. Simulation experiments reveal that the proposed analytical model predicts message latency with a good degree of accuracy.