Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: parallel@netcom.com (B. Mitchell Loebel)
Subject: PARALLEL Proc. Connection, NOV.'95 mtg notice
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 1995 09:48:44 GMT
Message-ID: <parallelDHM8L9.7Hx@netcom.com>

November 13th - Networks of Workstations (otherwise known as N O W's)

The PARALLEL Processing Connection is an entrepreneurial association. 
Our first priority is to assist our members in forming new high 
performance computing businesses; we accomplish this by forming 
strategic alliances with important organizations and providing 
significant technical presentations, seminars, and field trips.

The availability of "killer micros" and "killer connectivity" positions 
networks of workstations as a primary structure for high performance 
computing. The vast pool of computational and storage resources that are 
provided enables the migration of parallel computing across the NOW. 
In addition, virtual memory and file system performance can be 
dramatically improved by using the aggregate memory of a NOW as a giant 
disk cache and by using collections of workstation disks as a soft RAID. 
UC Berkeley Prof. Dave Culler will discuss the technical challenges 
involved, e.g. efficient communication hardware & software and global 
coordination of the multiple OS's.

Berkeley's NOW project is based on Message Passing so a number of 
important enhancements were incorporated into the Solaris OS to mitigate 
the otherwise long inter-workstation latencies which would be present.

The main meeting starts promptly at 7:30PM and a discussion of member 
projects currently underway and other issues of interest to entrepreneurs 
follows immediately thereafter at 9PM. Our meeting will be held at Sun 
Microsystems at 901 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto. This is just off the 
southbound San Antonio exit of 101.  Northbound travelers also exit at 
San Antonio and take the overpass to the other side of 101.  

Please be prompt; as usual, we expect a large attendance; don't be left 
out or left standing. There is a $10 fee for non-members and members 
will be admitted free.  Yearly membership fee is $50.

-- 
B. Mitchell Loebel                                      parallel@netcom.com 
Director - Strategic Alliances and Partnering                  408 732-9869 
PARALLEL Processing Connection 


