4 Nov
2004
4 Nov
'04
12:10 a.m.
At 08:17 AM 11/4/04 -0500, Ram wrote:
A transputer is just like any other processor with
memory, etc, etc. Except
that it has two unique attributes:
1) Has communication links so that you can hook it up to other transputer
nodes (or other peripherals). This allowed you to create a multiprocessor
system with several nodes (seen transputer networks of 1024 nodes at one
time). It was like LEGO for parallel processing. The technology that was
designed for the transputer is now slowing creaping into modern processors.
Not bad for a mid 80's processor....
2) Has micro-coded scheduler which allows you to create multi-processes
inside a single CPU. It supported two priorities in high and low. You
could do parallel processing in assembly with this baby! This is all
embedded inside the CPU core. Designed around the mid 80's and had an EOL
(End-of-life) around the late 90's. Quite a remarkable CPU and it was quite
fast too compared to the 386 of that era. See my website at
http://www.classiccmp.org/transputer for more info/links...
I looked at the data sheets on your website so that I would know that
the parts and part numbers looked like. Does anyone other that INMOS and
Thompson make these? I find lots of parallel computing equipment so there
should be some transputer stuff in there too. I have found a lot of high
speed parallel stuff with INMOS parts but I think it's older (early 80s)
than the transputers. But the transputer stuff should show up one day.
Joe