\noindent
{\bf
Loral System 500
}



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{\bf
Data Dataflow Architecture
}



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\noindent
{\bf Architecture:}
The Loral System 500 is a real-time data acquisition and
parallel processing system.  Communication between processors is
via dataflow tokens. Communication is handled through a
12 Mwords/sec 48-bit time mutliplex bus. This bus, the MUXbus, is
used to broadcast dataflow tokens that have 16 bits of tag and 32
bits of data.  The processing
subsystem for data manipulation and compression consists of
from 1 to 64 Field
Programmable Processors (FPPs).

\noindent
Each
single-card FPP includes .25 Mbytes of data memory and .25 Mbytes
of program memory.
Each FPP has a throughput of approximately
738K parameters per second.

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\noindent
{\bf Configuration:}
Real-time I/O controllers (e.g., telemetry, analogue
to digital converters, MIL-STD-1553 and RS232 serial data, disk, and
tape) share the data flow bus with the parallel processors.

\noindent
The System 500 is connected to color
graphics workstations by a 10 Mbit/sec Ethernet network for command,
control, and display.

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\noindent
{\bf Applications:}
A full complement of standard telemetry processing
algorithms, including bit matching, engineering unit conversion,
fast Fourier transforms, and power spectral density is available.

\noindent
Applications program development and system control is through
an Ethernet link attached to a VAX station 2000 under Ultrix and an X
Window System.

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\noindent
{\bf Languages:}
FPP programs may be developed in Fortran 77, C, or
Assembler on the VAX and downloaded to the FPPs. Parallelizing,
vectorization, and optimization techniques are used by the
compilers, and there are utilities including linkers, loaders,
debugging tools, and simulators.  Heavy use of chaining is made
by the compilers.

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\noindent
{\bf Performance:}
Each FPP is based on a Weitek XL numerical processor with
a rating of 8 mips and 20 Mflops. The performance on the single-precision 
LINPACK benchmark on a single FPP is 1.5 Mflops.

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\noindent
{\bf Contact:}
\begin{flushleft}
Loral Instrumentation\\
8401 Aero Drive\\
San Diego, CA 92123-1720\\
619-560-5888   Telex 695222\\

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Paul J. Friedman - marketing manager\\
\end{flushleft}

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