Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhc!hpcupt3!daryl
From: daryl@hpcupt3.cup.hp.com (Daryl Odnert)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Snakebytes (long -- and poisonous?)
Message-ID: <45760003@hpcupt3.cup.hp.com>
Date: 27 Mar 91 19:56:43 GMT
References: <69465@brunix.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 30

> Does anyone know how these numbers were achieved?
>
> Curtis

Yes, I know how they were achieved.

   1)  Fast hardware.  The processor is running at 50MHz or 66MHz,
       depending on which model you consider.

   2)  Improved processor architecture.  The processor in the Snakes
       workstation is based on the PA-RISC 1.1 architecture, which is
       a compatible upgrade from the original PA-RISC 1.0 architecture.
       Among the significant changes are an expanded floating-point
       coprocessor register file that now has 32 64-bit registers,
       also addressable as 64 32-bit registers.  There were also new
       multiply-and-add and multiply-and-subtract floating-point
       instructions, and an integer multiply instruction.

   3)  Enhanced compilers.  Several new optimizations have been implemented
       in HP's PA-RISC compilers, and more are on the way which will continue
       to improve benchmark and application performance.

For more information, see the 3 papers from HP published in the Spring '91
COMPCON Digest of Papers, pages 202-218.

Regards,
Daryl Odnert       daryl@hpcllla.cup.hp.com
Hewlett-Packard
California Language Lab
Cupertino, California