Slashdot Mirror
Tilera Releases 64-Way Chip Dev Tools
eldavojohn writes to tell us that Tilera has released a Linux-based development kit for their 64-core system on a chip. "The Tile64 is based on a proprietary VLIW (very long instruction word) architecture, on which a MIPS-like RISC architecture is implemented in microcode. A hypervisor enables each core to run its own instance of Linux, or alternatively the whole chip can run Tilera's 64-way SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing) Linux implementation. An 'iMesh' switching interconnect, developed by Tilera's founder, MIT professor and serial entrepreneur Dr. Anant Agarwal, is said to eliminate the centralized bus intersection that limited scalability in previous multicore designs."
I used the 64 way chip to get first post!
Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
As a consultant for several large companies, I'd always done my work on
Windows. Recently however, a top online investment firm asked us to do
some work using Linux. The concept of having access to source code was
very appealing to us, as we'd be able to modify the kernel to meet our
exacting standards which we're unable to do with Microsoft's products.
Although we met several technical challenges along the way
(specifically, Linux's lack of Token Ring support and the fact that we
were unable to defrag its ext2 file system), all in all the process
went smoothly. Everyone was very pleased with Linux, and we were
considering using it for a great deal of future internal projects.
So you can imagine our suprise when we were informed by a lawyer that
we would be required to publish our source code for others to use. It
was brought to our attention that Linux is copyrighted under something
called the GPL, or the Gnu Protective License. Part of this license
states that any changes to the kernel are to be made freely available.
Unfortunately for us, this meant that the great deal of time and money
we spent "touching up" Linux to work for this investment firm would
now be available at no cost to our competitors.
Furthermore, after reviewing this GPL our lawyers advised us that any
products compiled with GPL'ed tools - such as gcc - would also have to
its source code released. This was simply unacceptable.
Although we had planned for no one outside of this company to ever
use, let alone see the source code, we were now put in a difficult
position. We could either give away our hard work, or come up with
another solution. Although it was tought to do, there really was no
option: We had to rewrite the code, from scratch, for Windows 2000.
I think the biggest thing keeping Linux from being truly competitive
with Microsoft is this GPL. Its draconian requirements virtually
guarentee that no business will ever be able to use it. After my
experience with Linux, I won't be recommending it to any of my
associates. I may reconsider if Linux switches its license to
something a little more fair, such as Microsoft's "Shared Source".
Until then its attempts to socialize the software market will insure
it remains only a bit player.
Thank you for your time.
Because if you can't, I'm honestly not interested.
Thats GREAT! I used to wonder why the bus used to be late always for my cereal breakfast.
I'm not sure about this particular chip but doesn't VLIW normally mean no microcode? Microcode is the set of RISC commands that make up a CISC command. VLIW is just a RISC machine in which the compiler does all the optimization (branch prediction, hazard detection, etc). Normally VLIW machines fetch multiple instructions at once and issue them without fear of any hazards because the compiler takes care of it. Very neat idea, but not CISC
Imagine a beow... oh, never mind....
I thought the chip has been out for a few months; I feel bad for anyone who has been trying to use the processor with no development tools.
Also, it looks like the tools have been released to Tilera's customers, not to the public. A shame, since I'm sure a lot of Slashdotters would like to at least gawk at the docs for this chip.
I hate press releases like this. "$435 in 10,000 quantities". How much for just one of the damn things with the software I need to fool around with it? Is that too much to ask? It would be cool to have one of these, but I'm sure it won't be worth the effort or the expense (I figure a single unit will be at least double the quantity price).
-- Will program for bandwidth
I went on to read their in-depth article (linked to the main article) at http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS8981295285.html and I found this:
"Another touted benefit is the ability to consolidate control- and data-plane functions on a single device, with "solid-wall" processor boundaries reinforcing security and licensing containment barrier. In this regard, the Tile64 chip resembles another heavily multicore MIPS64 chip, Cavium's 16-way Octeon."
Does anyone know what the heck a "licensing containment barrier" is? It definitely sounds like a performance hit if it's turned on. And if it's forced to have it on then this design just lost a lot of its sex-appeal.
You can't send a takedown notice to an already printed newspaper.
I don't have a hard time believing that this person consults for large companies, because I have met a number of totally clueless people who made big bucks consulting for large companies. That part is quite believable. But really...
(1) If I were a client, and your company put linux to use for me without researching the licensing well in advance, then your firm lost me money. I don't even need any hard numbers to know that. If you tried to charge me a dime I would mark the contract "loser" and start a lawsuit over payment for services not rendered.
(2) If your lawyers really thought that code compiled with gcc had to be made public, then your lawyers are also from another world. Even if they did not know computers very much, they should understand the basic concept that something made with a tool -- a lathe for example -- does not belong to the tool manufacturer. The same is true of software: someone cannot hand you a tool for "free", then insist that they have legal control over a product you build with that tool. The very idea is ludicrous. If anyone even tried to do that, nobody would use the tool! The majority of linux users are NOT idiots. However, the legal team you describe seems to be a whole pack of them.
(3) Just about anything you wanted to do would be at least POSSIBLE to do without modifying the kernel, though it might not be as easy or perform quite as well. Provision for installable file systems and drivers is built in.
(4) Fuck it. I am tired of explaining why just about everything you say simply ain't so. You are either a troll or one of those annoying people who are well-paid for being clueless. Either way, I would appreciate it very much if you would go away.
Can anyone please translate this to Layman? I mean I do know bits and pieces about computing but this is really unintelligible for anyone but maybe hardware engineers.
Wish 1.
It's less than $4000.
Wish 2. It runs games well.
Wish 3. It could plug into my AGP slot 3
The press release, oh pardon me, the article linked to in the posting above lists pricing in units of 10,000. I want one or two TILexpress-64 boards please, not 10,000 units. Until the software is built 10,000 units would just sit in my garage doing nothing.
Also, I guess they had to put out a press release to respond to the massive threat that NVidia's new Tesla board represents. At least this is going to be good for competition.
GP post is a verbatim copy of http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=389856&cid=21705136
I like the idea, I like the idea a lot, but the fact that they opted for a simple but slow topology doesn't fill me with hope. Especially as they suggest running SMP over it. Processors close to the centre of the "mesh" will be resource-starved. There needs to be strong affinity of a given thread to a given core, where the weighting is by the operations expected and where that weighting can (and will) shift as code blocks change or new threads start. In other words, you want something that is semi-static, semi-dynamic according to need. Only the OS is capable of obtaining that kind of information, so it is the OS that needs to do the dividing, NOT the architecture underneath OR a system administrator.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
The lathe does not copy itself into what it works on.
There was a case of a pattern-lathe and it was a condition of sale of the patterns that you don't duplicate the patterns!
So while your point is good, the lathe analogy doesn't make it for you.
CIISC and RISC describe the architecture. Either can be implemented directly, using horizontal or vertical microcode, or via a translator. RISC is similar to vertical microcode, where each micro-instruction controls part of the core, and VLIW is similar to horizontal microcode, where each micro-instruction controls a number of components at once. Whether you call them "microcode" or "RISC/VLIW" is almost more a matter of marketing at this level, like when Intel started talking about the 486 having a "RISC core". Just don't try and blend them or you're setting yourself up for an EPIC fail.
The way they're describing it, the RISC instruction set is implemented using horizontal microcode that they're calling "VLIW" because it's sexier right now.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9F74AFA03AA06A11 , just in case someone hasn't dug on these yet (my personal fave).
No. All processors have microcode, including the most infamous VLIW chip the Itanic. You're confusing yourself.
Okay, so I know that VLIW stands for some very long word, but couldn't you have told us what it's an acronym for anyway?
sounds impressive =) "Tilera claims that the Tile64 outperforms Intel's dual-core Xeon processor by a factor of 10, while offering 30 times better performance per Watt." and "The Tile64 is available now, in three variants differentiated by I/O mix and clock. Pricing starts at $435 in 10,000 quantities".
where can i buy this?
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