INTRODUCTION TO MIMD ARCHITECTURE
(MIMD) Architecture is one of the recent and popular computer architecture.
Multiple instructions worked on multiple data to boost the performance of
computer. MIMD architecture works with shared memory programming model
and distributed memory programming model. Each model has its advantages
and disadvantage. In this paper we present a detail review of recent work
done in MIMD architecture, its comparison with other architectures especially
with Single Instruction Multiple Data architecture (SIMD).
MIMD (Multiple Instruction Multiple Data) computers are basically computers
with threads and process level architectures. MIMD is appropriate for programs
restricted by condition statements. After advancement and development in
integrated circuit technology the MIMD architectures became common.
Microprocessors were produced after this advancement in technology.
Microprocessors were very helpful and simple to design multiprocessor systems.
Small systems, including only few processors were usual. These systems were
called scalable parallel computers. here we present a complete review about
MIMD architecture its comparison with other architectures and which architecture
is better. II. MIMD ARCHITECTURE MIMD architecture comprises
of many processing elements (Processors) which are connected with some
memory through a common bus . Task and data is distributed among these
processing elements. So at the same time all processing elements execute the
instruction on their data corresponding to complete the given task. After
advancement and development in integrated circuit technology the MIMD
architectures became common. Microprocessors were produced after this
advancement in technology. Microprocessors were very helpful and simple to
design multiprocessor systems.
SHARED MEMORY
MIMD architecture works with two types of memory, shared memory is one of
them. All Processing Elements (PE) share a common memory address. Every
processing element can access any module via interconnected network directly.
They communicate by writing into common address space. PE’s are separate but
they have a common memory. There are two advantages of shared memory,
in shared memory the data and code is not divided into partitions, the main
advantage of this is that those programming techniques which are used in
uniprocessors can also be used for multiprocessor environment. In shared memory
systems new programming language is not required. One another advantage is
that physical movement of data is not required during process communication.
There are two types of memory access in shared memory model, which are
Uniform Memory Access and Non- Uniform Memory Access. In Uniform
Memory Access all Processing Elements access the data with same access time.
On the other hand in Non- Uniform Memory Access some processing elements
are closer to memory and some access it later.
Types of MIMD Architecture:
Shared memory model
The processors are all connected to a "globally available" memory, via
either software or hardware means. The operating system usually maintains its
memory coherence.[3]
From a programmer's point of view, this memory model is better understood than
the distributed memory model. Another advantage is that memory coherence is
managed by the operating system and not the written program. Two known
disadvantages are: scalability beyond thirty-two processors is difficult, and the
shared memory model is less flexible than the distributed memory model.[3]
There are many examples of shared memory (multiprocessors): UMA (Uniform
Memory Access), COMA (Cache Only Memory Access).[4]
Bus-based (uniform)
MIMD machines with shared memory have processors which share a common,
central memory. In the simplest form, all processors are attached to a bus which
connects them to memory. This means that every machine with shared memory
shares a specific CM, common bus system for all the clients.
For example, if we consider a bus with clients A, B, C connected on one side and
P, Q, R connected on the opposite side, any one of the clients will communicate
with the other by means of the bus interface between them.
Hierarchical (Non-uniform)
MIMD machines with hierarchical shared memory use a hierarchy of buses (as, for
example, in a "Fat tree") to give processors access to each other's memory.
Processors on different boards may communicate through inter-nodal buses. Buses
support communication between boards. With this type of architecture, the
machine may support over nine thousand processors.
Distributed memory
In distributed memory MIMD machines, each processor has its own individual
memory location. Each processor has no direct knowledge about other processor's
memory. For data to be shared, it must be passed from one processor to another as
a message. Since there is no shared memory, contention is not as great a problem
with these machines. It is not economically feasible to connect a large number of
processors directly to each other. A way to avoid this multitude of direct
connections is to connect each processor to just a few others. This type of design
can be inefficient because of the added time required to pass a message from one
processor to another along the message path. The amount of time required for
processors to perform simple message routing can be substantial. Systems were
designed to reduce this time loss and hypercube and mesh are among two of the
popular interconnection schemes.
Examples of distributed memory (multiple computers) include MPP (massively
parallel processors), COW (clusters of workstations) and NUMA (Non-Uniform
Memory Access). The former is complex and expensive: lots of super-computers
coupled by broad-band networks. Examples include hypercube and mesh
interconnections. COW is the "home-made" version for a fraction of the price.
Hypercube interconnection network
In an MIMD distributed memory machine with a hypercube system
interconnection network containing four processors, a processor and a memory
module are placed at each vertex of a square. The diameter of the system is the
minimum number of steps it takes for one processor to send a message to the
processor that is the farthest away. So, for example, the diameter of a 2-cube is 2.
In a hypercube system with eight processors and each processor and memory
module being placed in the vertex of a cube, the diameter is 3. In general, a system
that contains 2^N processors with each processor directly connected to N other
processors, the diameter of the system is N. One disadvantage of a hypercube
system is that it must be configured in powers of two, so a machine must be built
that could potentially have many more processors than is really needed for the
application.
Mesh interconnection network
In an MIMD distributed memory machine with a mesh interconnection network,
processors are placed in a two-dimensional grid. Each processor is connected to its
four immediate neighbors. Wrap around connections may be provided at the edges
of the mesh. One advantage of the mesh interconnection network over the
hypercube is that the mesh system need not be configured in powers of two. A
disadvantage is that the diameter of the mesh network is greater than the hypercube
for systems with more than four processors.
