Machine type: Vectorprocessor.
Models: S3600/120, S3600/140, S3600/160, S3600/180.
Operating system: VOS3/HAP/ES (IBM MVS compatible) and OSF/1.
Compilers: FORT77/HAP vectorising Fortran 77.
System parameters:
Remarks:
The speed differences between the different models stem from replication of the multiply/add pipe in the models S3600/120-180. The /160 and /180 models have respectively two- and four-fold sets of a separate add- and a multifunctional multiply/add vector pipes. This should lead to a maximum of 3 results per clock cycle per pipe set. So, contrary to the information given by the vendor, the maximum performance of, e.g., the /180 should in some situations be 3 Gflop/s instead of 2.
Note that the clock cycle of the scalar processor is twice that of the VPU. The memory bandwidth from the memory from/to the CPU is 2 operands per clock cycle via 1 load and 1 load/store pipe per arithmetic pipe set), which is somewhat less than optimal. It is not possible to load two operands and store one result in one cycle. The /120 model lacks a separate load pipe, only a load/store pipe is present.
A unique feature of the S3600, as in its direct predecessor the S-820, is that all machines of the series are air cooled. All other machines in this class relied at least on water cooling.
Unlike the S-820 series, the S3600 series is also marketed worldwide, not only in Japan. This is also the case for the S3800 SM-MIMD machines (3.3.2).
Measured performances: In [#linpackbm#
Jack Dongarra
Sat Feb 10 15:12:38 EST 1996