A Conflict Sense Routing Protocol and Its Performance for Hypercubes

We propose a new switching format for multiprocessor networks, which we call Conflict Sense Routing Protocol. This switching format is a hybrid of packet and circuit switching, and combines advantages of both. We initially present the protocol in a way applicable to a general topology. We then present an implementation of this protocol for a hypercube computer and a particular routing algorithm. We also analyze the steady-state throughput of the hypercube implementation for random node to node communications. Research supported by NSF under Grant NSF-DDM-8903385 and by the ARO under Grant DAAL03-86K-0171. 2 Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, M.I.T, Cambridge, Mass. 02139.