Cray J90
Encyclopedia
The Cray J90 series was an air-cooled vector processor
supercomputer
first sold by Cray Research in 1994. The J90 evolved from the Cray Y-MP EL minisupercomputer
, and is compatible with Y-MP software, running the same UNICOS
operating system
. The J90 supported up to 32 CMOS
processors with a 10 ns (100 MHz) clock. It supported up to 4 GB of main memory
and up to 48 GB/s of memory bandwidth, giving it considerably less performance than the contemporary Cray T90
, but making it a strong competitor to other technical computers in its price range. All input/output in a J90 system was handled by an IOS (Input/Output Subsystem) called IOS Model V. The IOS-V was based around the VME64
bus and SPARC
I/O processors (IOPs) running the VxWorks
RTOS. The IOS was programmed to emulate the IOS Model E, used in the larger Cray Y-MP
systems, in order to minimize changes in the UNICOS operating system. By using standard VME boards, a wide variety of commodity peripherals could be used.
The J90 was available in three basic configurations, the J98 with up to eight processors, the J916 with up to 16 processors, and the J932 with up to 32 processors.
Each J90 processor was composed of two chips - one for the scalar portion of the processor, and the other for the vector portion. The scalar chip was also notable for including a small (128 word) data cache to enhance scalar performance. (Cray machines have always had instruction caching.)
In 1997 the J90se (Scalar Enhanced) series became available, which doubled the scalar speed of the processors to 200 MHz; the vector chip remained at 100 MHz. Support was also added for the GigaRing I/O system found on the Cray T3E
and Cray SV1
, replacing IOS-V. Later, SV1
processors could be installed in a J90 or J90se, further increasing performance within the same frame.
Vector processor
A vector processor, or array processor, is a central processing unit that implements an instruction set containing instructions that operate on one-dimensional arrays of data called vectors. This is in contrast to a scalar processor, whose instructions operate on single data items...
supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
first sold by Cray Research in 1994. The J90 evolved from the Cray Y-MP EL minisupercomputer
Minisupercomputer
Minisupercomputers constituted a short-lived class of computers that emerged in the mid-1980s. As scientific computing using vector processors became more popular, the need for lower-cost systems that might be used at the departmental level instead of the corporate level created an opportunity for...
, and is compatible with Y-MP software, running the same UNICOS
Unicos
UNICOS is the name of a range of Unix-like operating system variants developed by Cray for its supercomputers. UNICOS is the successor of the Cray Operating System . It provides network clustering and source code compatibility layers for some other Unixes. UNICOS was originally introduced in 1985...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
. The J90 supported up to 32 CMOS
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits...
processors with a 10 ns (100 MHz) clock. It supported up to 4 GB of main memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
and up to 48 GB/s of memory bandwidth, giving it considerably less performance than the contemporary Cray T90
Cray T90
The Cray T90 series was the last of a line of vector processing supercomputers manufactured by Cray Research, Inc, superseding the Cray C90 series...
, but making it a strong competitor to other technical computers in its price range. All input/output in a J90 system was handled by an IOS (Input/Output Subsystem) called IOS Model V. The IOS-V was based around the VME64
VMEbus
VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of CPUs, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as ANSI/IEEE 1014-1987. It is physically based on Eurocard sizes, mechanicals and connectors , but uses its own signalling system,...
bus and SPARC
SPARC
SPARC is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by Sun Microsystems and introduced in mid-1987....
I/O processors (IOPs) running the VxWorks
VxWorks
VxWorks is a real-time operating system developed as proprietary software by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA. First released in 1987, VxWorks is designed for use in embedded systems.- History :...
RTOS. The IOS was programmed to emulate the IOS Model E, used in the larger Cray Y-MP
Cray Y-MP
The Cray Y-MP was a supercomputer sold by Cray Research from 1988, and the successor to the company's X-MP. The Y-MP retained software compatibility with the X-MP, but extended the address registers from 24 to 32 bits. High-density VLSI ECL technology was used and a new liquid cooling system was...
systems, in order to minimize changes in the UNICOS operating system. By using standard VME boards, a wide variety of commodity peripherals could be used.
The J90 was available in three basic configurations, the J98 with up to eight processors, the J916 with up to 16 processors, and the J932 with up to 32 processors.
Each J90 processor was composed of two chips - one for the scalar portion of the processor, and the other for the vector portion. The scalar chip was also notable for including a small (128 word) data cache to enhance scalar performance. (Cray machines have always had instruction caching.)
In 1997 the J90se (Scalar Enhanced) series became available, which doubled the scalar speed of the processors to 200 MHz; the vector chip remained at 100 MHz. Support was also added for the GigaRing I/O system found on the Cray T3E
Cray T3E
The Cray T3E was Cray Research's second-generation massively parallel supercomputer architecture, launched in late November 1995. The first T3E was installed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in 1996. Like the previous Cray T3D, it was a fully distributed memory machine using a 3D torus...
and Cray SV1
Cray SV1
The Cray SV1 is a vector processor supercomputer from the Cray Research division of Silicon Graphics introduced in 1998. The SV1 has since been succeeded by the Cray X1 and X1E vector supercomputers. Like its predecessor, the Cray J90, the SV1 used CMOS processors, which lowered the cost of the...
, replacing IOS-V. Later, SV1
Cray SV1
The Cray SV1 is a vector processor supercomputer from the Cray Research division of Silicon Graphics introduced in 1998. The SV1 has since been succeeded by the Cray X1 and X1E vector supercomputers. Like its predecessor, the Cray J90, the SV1 used CMOS processors, which lowered the cost of the...
processors could be installed in a J90 or J90se, further increasing performance within the same frame.