Transputer Applications Notebook
Systems and Performance

First Edition, May 1989
72-TRN-205-00

Preface

The Transputer Applications Notebook - Systems and Performance is a compilation of technical notes written by INMOS engineers to assist in the implementation of transputer technology. The collection is divided into five sections which describe an approach to system design and development using transputer technology.

INMOS technical notes are written with the intention of investigating and developing a particular area of interest or application. This compilation is intended to be of particular interest to electronic engineers, software engineers, programmers, system designers and managers. It has been published in response to the increasing interest and requests for information regarding the transputer and the occam language.

The INMOS transputer family is a range of VLSI building blocks for concurrent processing systems, with occam as the associated design formalism. occam is an easy and natural language for the programming and specification of concurrent systems. A compilation of technical notes explaining the architectural foundation of occam and the transputer can be found in a companion publication in the INMOS Databook series, ie The Transputer Applications Notebook - Architecture and Software.

Current INMOS transputer products include the 16 bit IMS T222 (which supersedes the IMS T212), the 32 bit IMS T414 and IMS T425, in addition to the IMS T800 family of 32 bit transputers featuring an integral high speed floating point processor. The transputer is fully supported by INMOS development tools and standard language compilers. The product range also includes peripheral controllers and communications products. Comprehensive information detailing the range of transputer products is available in a separate INMOS Databook series publication, ie The Transputer Databook.

The IMS M212 is an intelligent peripheral controller comprising a 16 bit processor, on chip memory and communications links. It contains hardware and interface logic to control disc drives and can be used as a programmable disc controller or as a general purpose peripheral interface.

The INMOS serial communication link is a high speed system interconnect which provides full duplex communication between members of the transputer family. It can be used as a general purpose interconnect even where transputers are not used. The IMS C011 and IMS C012 link adaptors are communications devices enabling the INMOS serial communication link to be connected to parallel data ports and microprocessor buses. The IMS C004 is a programmable link switch. It provides a full crossbar switch between 32 link inputs and 32 link outputs.

The Transputer Development System referred to in this manual comprises an integrated editor, compiler and debugging system which enables transputers to be programmed in occam and in industry standard languages. Detailed information describing the Transputer Development System has been published in the Prentice Hall series of INMOS technical publications, ie the Transputer Development System manual.

Hardware

• 72-TCH-009 Designing with the IMS T414 and IMS T800 memory interface
• 72-TCH-018 Connecting INMOS links
• 72-TCH-010 IMS B003 design of a multi-transputer board
• 72-TCH-058 Using transputers from EPROM

Systems

• 72-TCH-019 Designs and applications for the IMS C004
• 72-TCH-049 Module motherboard architecture
• 72-TCH-029 Dual inline transputer modules (TRAMs)

Software

• 72-TCH-005 Program design for concurrent systems
• 72-TCH-024 Exploring multiple transputer arrays
• 72-TCH-001 Extraordinary use of transputer links
• 72-TCH-033 Analysing transputer networks
• 72-TCH-034 Loading transputer networks

Applications

• 72-TCH-000 A transputer based radio-navigation system
• 72-TCH-002 The transputer based navigation system - testing embedded systems
• 72-TCH-046 A transputer based distributed graphics display

Performance

• 72-TCH-027 Lies, damned lies and benchmarks
• 72-TCH-017 Performance maximisation

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