Measurement and Analysis of HYPERchannel Networks

In this paper we consider HYPERchannel adapter local networks, the most oft used approach to realizing very high speed (50 Mbit/s transmission rates) local networks. We first describe the channel selection, channel access, and virtual circuit protocols used in HYPERchannel networks. Next, to characterize adapter network performance we present and interpret a series of measurements obtained from an adapter testbed network. From these measurements we are able to characterize the effects of various adapter protocol parameter settings, and hence recommend settings to avoid certain possible anomalous performance behavior and achieve desired effects.