A NEW APPROACH TO SYSTEM-LEVEL FAULT-TOLERANCE IN MESSAGE-PASSING MULTICOMPUTERS

The loop is a commonly used interconnection network for computer systems. In this paper we consider the problem of making a loop network fault-tolerant. Previous solutions employ the absolute minimum number of redundant components, for a specified level of fault tolerance. In our approach, "extra" redundancy is used to reduce the size and complexity of the interconnection network. Designs based on chordal rings are presented which can tolerate one and two processor failures. The examples given indicate that for large scale systems, the approach can produce improved designs, which are more in accord with the limitations of current technology.