Alliant Computer Corp has introduced enhancements to its high end FX/2800 minisupercomputer line, and at the same time launched a new entry-level model, the FX/800. Alliant, which uses the Intel 80860 RISC processor, has boosted input-output throughput, memory capacity and networking capabilities of the FX/2800 to make it more attractive to users of input-output and data intensive applications such as seismic analysis, image and signal processing, computational fluid dynamics and visualisation. The system, which packs from eight to 28 80860s, can also be used as a file server for networked workstations. The improvements in clude multiple input-output channels, each with a peak bandwidth of 100 megabytes per second, a design based on the ANSI X3T9.3 High Performance Parallel Interface, HIPPI, standard. This allows for high performance input-output connection between supercompu ters, high speed networks, disk arrays, frame buffers and switching devices. Up to five pairs of input-output HIPPI channels are now supported on the FX/2800. Alliant is working to interface its HIPPI device with others from Maximum Strategy Inc, Net work Systems Corp and Ultra Network Techno logies Inc. And Alliant has increased the main memory capacity from 1Gb to 4Gb by us ing 4M-bit chips, which it claims beats the current 2Gb limit of competitive machines from Convex Computer, Cray Research and DEC. Other enhancements include the use of faster IPI2 disk drives and software inter face support for multiple large scale disk arrays of up to 500Gb, FDDI and systems re source accounting software. HIPPI and FDDI are not available till autumn. The FX/800, available immediately, is intended for dis tributed installations with satellite mach ines clustered around a central FX/2800. Rated at 320 MFLOPS peak, 121 MFLOPS (Lin pack 1000) and 328 VAX MIPS, the FX/800 has from two to eight 80860s, up to 4Gb memory and sells for from $189,000 to $600,000.
