The most interesting and important aspects of the SCI specification are 
documented in C-code. Although most people retrospectively find that 
this code is exceptionally comprehensive, it is  time-consuming and 
difficult to get through it alone. On September 23, 1996 SCIzzL will again 
offer a C-code tutorial which will uncover some of the obscurities; the 
session will be presented by B. Mitchell Loebel, President of MultiNode 
Microsystems Company and Director of The PARALLEL Processing 
Connection. Whatever are your objectives with SCI, this offering will 
definitely shorten your "time to market".

Some of you have asked about the possibility of an all day seminar at 
your site. That is definitely available. As for agenda, it can be tailored to 
your needs; of course, we would need input from you as to how far 
along you have progressed and what you are attempting to do. I would 
think that attendance should be limited to about 10-15 people, but we're 
flexible on that point. We'll certainly cover more material, more deeply 
and interactively than we will be able to do at the SCIzzL meeting. As 
regards background, I think I can safely say that there is very little of the 
code that we haven't explored over the past two years and I am grateful 
for the able assistance of Dave Gustavson and a number of exceptional 
people who are members in The PARALLEL Processing Connection. 
The exact cost will depend on your needs - please inquire at 408 732-
9869.


Details of the SCIzzL C-code seminar are as follows:

Prerequisites -

        1 A familiarity with the C language is assumed.

        2. A familiarity with the SCI specification (IEEE 1596) is
        assumed. If you have a copy, please bring it with you. If you
        need to purchase a copy, please contact Dave Gustavson
        (dbg@scizzl.com) immediately.

        3. Completion of Dave Gustavson's Introductory tutorial or 
        equivalent experience is highly recommended. BTW, Dave, will 
        be offering that session in the AM of September 23th - separate 
        registration is required.

Agenda -
        The tutorial will extensively cover the SCI state machine (with 
        relevant diagrams) in addition to the following material: 

        1. Simulation architecture -
            The SCI spec is written in C and is encapsulated in a
            comprehensive multithreaded simulation. In order to examine
            and understand the spec, it is essential to understand the
            overall structure of the simulation.

        2. Data structures -
            Here we will describe the various data structures which are
            allocated when the simulation starts up.

        3. Packet movement between "chips" -
            As an SCI packet moves the physical system which is
            described by the simulation, threads are started, suspended
            and restarted. Certain very important insights will be
            presented to help the attendee get through the code.

        4. Glossary of terms and functions -
            The SCI spec is brilliantly done and the code is good.
             However, the naming of functions and variables often leaves
             much to be desired and is downright misleading. This
             seminar will definitely shorten an attendee's path to overall
             understanding by defining clearly the functionality of key
             routines.

        5. "Double action" cache state machine -
             SCI cache tag updates do not happen atomically, ie, a cache
             state is set to an intermediate value when a packet is sent out
             and is set to its final value when the response to that packet is
             received. We will describe this important behavior in detail.

        6. Conflict between concurrent transactions -
              A.Within a node
                In the case of several CPU's in a node (which seems to
                be the way current system designs are going), certain
                actions by _some_ of the CPU's must be blocked. We
                will describe what 
                blocking is necessary and _why_.
              B.External to a node
                Similar to the first part of this section, but this will deal
                with _inter_ node transaction conflicts and
                interoperability considerations between dissimilar nodes.

        7. Optimizing the SCI protocol withing the specification.

        8. Demonstration and interactive use of the SCI simulator.

Time:   1:30PM to 8PM (we'll bring in complimentary pizzas for 
        dinner).

Cost:   $450 per person for non-SCIzzL members.
        or
        $375 for members of SCIzzL who register by September 18th.

        (Please email Dave Gustavson - dbg@SCIzzL.com to inquire 
        about SCIzzL membership.) On-site registrations and those 
        received after September 18th will be at the undiscounted price. 
        Additionally, handout materials can only be guaranteed for pre-
        registrants; others may have to be mailed. For those who need 
        additional time to move paperwork withing their organizations, 
        we will take a "letter of intent" received on or before September 18th 
        as an indication of pre-registration. All registrations must be paid 
        in advance of attendance.

Location: Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA - room TBD.


Registration form -

Name:

Organization name:

Snail mail address:

Email address:

Voice telephone:

Fax telephone:

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