Efficient Two-Level Mesh based Simulation of PRAMs

• Venue: ISPAN '96 Proceedings of the 1996 International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms and Networks
• Year: 1996

We consider time-processor optimal simulations of PRAM models on coated block meshes. A coated block mesh consists of \pi-processor blocks and \pi \times \pi or \sqrt{\pi} \times \sqrt{\pi} \times \sqrt{\pi} router blocks. The router blocks form a 2-dimensional or a 3-dimensional regular mesh, and the processor & memory blocks are located on the surface of the block mesh. As a generalization of the coated mesh, the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional coated block meshes simulate EREW, CREW, and CRCW PRAM models time-processor optimally with moderate simulation cost. Using proper amount of parallel slackness, the cost can be decreased clearly below 2 routing steps per simulated PRAM processor.The coated block mesh is actually an instance of a more general two-level construction technique, which uses a seemingly inefficient but scalable solution on top of a non-scalable but efficient solution. Within blocks (chips) brute force techniques are applied, whereas the mesh structure on top makes the whole construction modular, simple, and scalable. The parameter \pi provides a method to balance the construction with respect to the two techniques.