HIPPI FAQs

1. What does HIPPI mean?

   HIPPI is an abbreviation for "High Performance Parallel Interface"

2. Is HIPPI a recognized standard?

   HIPPI is an ANSI standard (ANSI X3T9.3 document number X3T9.3/90-043, 1990)

3. What is Serial HIPPI?

   Serial HIPPI is the fiber-optic version of the High Performance Parallel Interface, originally developed in the late 1980s to serve the high-bandwidth needs of supercomputers and high-end workstations. A full line of network switches, gateways and network interface cards is available from a number of vendors. HIPPI employs pairs of point-to-point, 800-megabit-per-second, simplex links (one incoming and one outgoing) that ensure full bandwidth to each station.

4. What is gigabit networking?

   A true gigabit network provides connections between compute-system components-processors, shared storage, etc.-at a signalling rate of at least 1000 megabits per second (Mbps). By way of comparison, this is approximately ten times that of both FDDI and Fast Ethernet.

5. Who needs networks that fast?

   Connections operating at gigabit speeds are necessary to fully utilize the power of today's workstations and PC servers. In addition, high-bandwidth backbone networks allow the linking of large LANs. As compute power, bus speeds and the amount of data being manipulated on the desktop increase, faster LANs will increase the efficiency of these enterprise networks. Further, as distributed processing increases, greater network capacity is needed to take on new applications (such as intranets and display of real-time video, 3-D animated models, etc.), deliver reasonable response times, and reduce network problems. In other words, potential demand exists now-as network bandwidth is increased it will be utilized.

6. Who is using HIPPI?

   The list of organizations that have implemented HIPPI networks is a veritable "who's who" from the public and private sectors worldwide, including Los Alamos National Laboratories, NASA, Disney, Ford Motor Co., Boeing, and TRW.

7. Are Gigabit Ethernet and HIPPI competing technologies?

   Not really. HIPPI is best suited for supercomputer connectivity, high-end workstation clustering, and as a backbone connecting other networks, and this will continue to be true with the emergence of HIPPI-6400, the first gigabyte network. Gigabit Ethernet will bring more bandwidth "to the masses"-those linked by slower, general-purpose LANs (especially Ethernet and Fast Ethernet). So, in fact, HIPPI and Gigabit Ethernet can be used in complementary ways; for example, HIPPI is ideal for high-performance clustering, while Gigabit Ethernet will provide an excellent backbone for the traditional LAN traffic. Also, the two technologies are interoperable, which means there will situations where both can be used to provide maximum benefit.

8. What is HIPPI-6400?

   HIPPI-6400, sometimes referred to as "SuperHIPPI," is the next-generation HIPPI standard. Each simplex HIPPI-6400 link will operate at 6400 megabits per second, an eightfold increase over HIPPI-800. The standard is currently being finalized; products are expected to begin arriving on the market in late 1997.

9. Are HIPPI products commercially available?

   HIPPI switches are commercially available from several sources in a range from 4X4 up to 32X32 connections

HIPPI specifications can be found as working documents from the High-Performance Networking Forum Technical Committee, also known as the ANSI T11.1 Working Group.

• HIPPI Physical Layer HIPPI - PH (ANSI X3T9.3/91-005)
• HIPPI Framing Protocol HIPPI - FP
• HIPPI Link Encapsulation HIPPI - LE
• HIPPI Switch Control HIPPI - SC

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