dtj v09-03 1997

This issue of the Digital Technical Journal, Volume 9, Number 3, published in 1997, covers several key advancements in computing technology:

1. Parallel SCSI Technology: The lead article focuses on "Recent Advances in Basic Physical Technology for Parallel SCSI," particularly the "UltraSCSI" standard. It details improvements in:

   • Speed: Increased synchronous data phase speed.
   • Configuration Expansion: Use of "expander circuits" to enable larger and more complex electrical configurations.
   • Interconnect: Introduction of smaller, high-density "VHDCI" connectors for more versatile and manageable connectivity.
   • Hot Plugging: Allowing dynamic insertion and removal of devices on an active bus without disruption. The cover visually represents these improvements with graphs showing "speed," "interconnect density," and "configuration expansion" for different systems, emphasizing "speed change/hot plugging" and "UltraSCSI."

2. Router Clusters: A paper describes the "Development of Router Clusters to Provide Fast Failover in IP Networks." This innovation provides high availability in IP networks by enabling mutual backup among routers on the same LAN, reducing service loss time to under five seconds during single failures and allowing traffic sharing.

3. Multiplatform 3-D Application Sharing: The "Shared Desktop" is introduced as a "Collaborative Tool for Sharing 3-D Applications among Different Window Systems." This software facilitates real-time sharing of 3D graphics and audio applications across networks, supporting interoperation between Windows and UNIX-based computers using screen capture and data compression.

4. HPF Debugger: An article discusses the "Challenges in Designing an HPF Debugger" (High Performance Fortran). It explores how an experimental debugger, "Aardvark," aims to provide a single source-level view of programs despite their execution across multiple intercommunicating processes with distributed data.