Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!hubcap!fostel
From: fostel@cscadm.ncsu.edu (Gary Fostel)
Newsgroups: comp.parallel
Subject: Commercial Hypercube Systems
Keywords: Ncube, Intel iPSC2, Meiko
Message-ID: <4784@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 89 13:26:39 GMT
Sender: fpst@hubcap.UUCP
Lines: 27
Approved: parallel@hubcap.clemson.edu


    We are about to purchase a low end parallel system, almost certainly
    a hypercube or similar system.  There seem to be only 2 or 3 vendors
    offering such systems: NCube, Intel and possibly Meiko.  We need to 
    hear feedback from people who have actually used these systems;  if
    you have opinions but no experience, please respect our need for 
    direct experience. 

    The scale of the system we are going to buy is whatever can be bought
    on University discounts for not much more than $100k.  A bit more money
    is available for good graphics attachments to the basic computing 
    element.  

    If you have used, or are using an NCube/7 or Intel iPSC2 with small
    nodes (memory-wise) or a Meiko Transputer based system, please
    send me some mail summarizing your opinions of the system.  Of
    particular interst is the ability to do cost effective hi-res
    graphics, support more than one concurrent user, and be relatively
    bullet-proof (students will be the primary users!).  Sadly, the
    funding source will not support maintanence so any observations 
    about the reliability of the hardware and the vendor are relevant.

    As everyone always says at this point, thanks in advance, and if I
    get a significant number of responses, I will post a summary of the
    responses.  Please respond by sending mail to "fostel@cscadm.ncsu.edu".

----GaryFostel----