Performance of shared memory in a parallel computer

A method for analyzing the lengths of memory queues when the network is conflict-free is described. An algorithm based on this method is shown to efficiently determine the upper and lower bounds of the queue length. Analysis indicates that the strategy of using hashing to spread data across memory modules is a good one. Results show that if the size of the system is increased while maintaining a constant ratio of numbers of processors to memories, then, asymptotically, the slowdown in performance from conflicts at the memory modules is Theta (log m/log log m). For m and n less than 100000 and lambda between 0.25 and 4.0, the graphical data confirm this growth rate.<
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