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From: jvmiller@ptolemy0.rdrc.rpi.edu (Jim Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Amiga distributed processing. Is it possible?
Message-ID: <~VG#$J+@rpi.edu>
Date: 29 Mar 90 16:35:12 GMT
References: <604@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>
Reply-To: jvmiller@ptolemy0.rdrc.rpi.edu.UUCP (Jim Miller)
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 25


This is slightly off the beaten path, but this discussion hits upon an idea
I had a few months ago.  I was using an AIS-5000 SIMD computer which
had 384 processors (one processor for each column of an image).  Since
this was a single user machine and there were 10 of us in the class, it became
apparent that it would be nice if there were tools for testing code meant
for parallel machines on sequential machine.  My idea (which does't look
as though I will have the time to bring to life any time soon) was to
create a series of handlers that would be virtual processors.  There
would be an instance of the handler for each processor you would like
use.  The operating system would handle all the time slicing of processes
and transmission of data between processors.  Since the AIS uses simple
1 bit processors, it shouldn't be too difficult to implement a handler
that behaves in a similar fashion.  

I also thought that these "handlers" do not have to be all on the 
same Amiga.  Soem of them could be set up as actually devices, or links
to handlers on some other amiga.

Since I am busy working on my thesis or keeping track of my
sanity most the time, I will not have time to try anything like this
for a while.  I just wanted to see what people thought, if it was
doable, or if I was just wasting my time.

Jimmy Miller