Testing and fault tolerance properties in a class of sorting networks

Sorting networks are an important application for parallel processing and also can be used as interconnection networks with fast and simple self-routing algorithm. The odd-even tranposition sorting networks are important class of sorting networks because of its ease in hardware implementation. This paper investigates testing and fault-tolerant properties of such networks for single stuck_at crossing (stuck_at X) and stuck_at straight (stuck_at T) faults in the comparators. we have proved that a single test vector is sufficient to detect all single and multiple stuck_at T faults. For stuck_at X faults, we have shown that the networks are 1-fault tolerant for large number of comparators. Analysis of several examples support the conjecture that these networks are 1-fault tolerant for all internal comparators.