Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!hubcap!fpst
From: fpst@hubcap.clemson.edu (Steve Stevenson)
Newsgroups: comp.parallel
Subject: Acquisition of a Parallel Computing System
Message-ID: <5928@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 6 Jul 89 13:27:13 GMT
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 47
Approved: parallel@hubcap.clemson.edu
From:
 gunner1@vms.cis.pittsburgh.edu

This is my first posting to this newsgroup (I wasn't aware of its 
existence :-) ) and I need some help. Offhand, my guess is that 
postings with the same questions that I have would already have
appeared  several times here, and if someone has addressed these in 
the past, I'd appreciate your re-posting them or sending me e-mail. 

OK, first off I'm in an engg dept. and my knowledge of parallel
processors and parallel computing hardware, or of software that is 
specifically designed to work with parallel processors is very limited.
Having said that, I'd like some recommendations along with prices, pros
and cons, features, sources of info, configurations, and any other  
insights on the stuff that is available.
 
I realize that this is probably too broad a question, so let me try
and provide a few more specifics. The situation is that basically 
some money will potentially become available for purchasing some
parallel processing eqpt (MAYBE upto $200K), and we have several people
in our dept. who are interested in using this eqpt for their research.
The catch of course is that no one is completely certain of HOW. My 
guess is that most of the applications would be in the area of 
numerical and discrete optimization algorithms, heuristic procedures
in production scheduling and distribution, and some limited 
artificial intelligence applications. I must also mention that we have
ready access to a CRAY but even though this is OK for big time
number crunching, it doesn't provide the necessary control over the
execution of many algorithms. 

Given this fuzzy background I'd appreciate ANY pointers.

Thanks,
 
JR. 

********************************************
e-mail:
     gunner1@pittvms.BITNET
     gunner1@vms.cis.pittsburgh.edu
     gunner1@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu

********************************************
 

-- 
Steve Stevenson                            fpst@hubcap.clemson.edu
(aka D. E. Stevenson),                     steve@hubcap.clemson.edu
Department of Computer Science,            comp.parallel
Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1906 (803)656-5880.mabell