Many parallel architectures have been primarily developed to solve large-scale scientific problems. These systems have been optimized around the processing elements, leaving I/O performance as a secondary consideration. The next generation of parallel systems will instead be optimized around data movement and large-scale I/O. To achieve this level of I/O performance the system architecture must be built around a high-speed "System Area Network," or SAN. Tandem's ServerNet SAN is the first such network to provide high performance connections between CPUs, from CPUs to I/O, and between I/O devices. ServerNet is a wormhole-routed, packet-switched, point-to-point, network with full-duplex, byte-serial links and electrical interfaces supporting either backplane connections or inter-cabinet cables. The network gives new capabilities for shared I/O and multimedia, and can support many different network topologies. Servernet is the basis for scalable systems running a variety of operating systems with selectable levels of fault tolerance.

The presentation will outline the new "ServerNet" technology announced by Tandem Computers on 17 July 1995, and which is described in the following papers published earlier this year:

• IEEE MICRO: TNet: A Reliable System Area Network (note: TNet was the former code-name for Servernet)
• Tandem FTCS-25: (July 95 Fault Tolerant Computing Symposium) A Flexible ServerNet-based Fault Tolerant Architecture
• Tandem White Paper: Breakthrough Technology for the Coming Generation of Applications. ServerNet: a new approach to satisfying massive data throughput requirements

Reprints will be distributed to the ParCo'95 Conference participants.

A Servernet Architecture overview is available here. General info on TANDEM starts from here.