High performance with a simple and natural programming model

The software to control the Data Vortex® network switch is easier to program and more flexible than software for other types of switches. Because the Data Vortex® network switch can be integrated into an industry-standard commodity cluster, it provides a familiar software environment using the industry-standard C programming language.  A straight-forward application programmer’s interface (API) is provided to enable transferring data to and from the network switch. It is conceptually similar to message passing, but designed for SRAM and remote memory which provides advantages like global addressing and better performance.

Designed for the Programmer

  • Simple API (in C) for initiating and controlling data transfers low-level, but small and efficient
  • Flat network model, all nodes are equidistant
  • Linear scaling usually comes for “free”. Programmer develops code on 4 nodes -- run on 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 nodes
  • Superior performance on GUPs, FFT and Graph500 BFS

Programming Methods 

  • Custom Code with Low Level AP
  • DV (or customer) developed Libraries
    • 3D FFT now
    • More to follow later
  • Higher level API
    • Send/Receive Available
    • Put/Get under development
  • HYBRID code
    • Run MPI code on DV20x without DV VIC/Switch
    • Optimize time-critical sections to run on DV VIC/Switch