INTEL LAB

Dual X86 projects were started primarily to test the multiprocessing capablitites of MACH like kernel developed under MACH project. MACH project was an inhouse project undertaken by an informal group called Parallel Processing Research Center (PPRC), IIT-Bombay, a center setup with the motivation to explore the avenues for the development and research in the field of Parallel and Distributed processing. The MACH project was launched at IIT -Bombay under my supervision in 1988. It was an industry sponsored project with CDAC, Crompton and Greaves, WIPRO, CMC and Godrej being the main sposorers. Each of these industries contributed a sum of 2 Lakhs and a fund of 10 Lakhs was raised to realize the goal of acquiring expertise and contributing towards the development of a multiprocessor, object oriented OS kernel. MACH, a kernel under development at Carnegie Mellon University(CMU), USA, then was chosen as a model for this purpose. As a part of the project an information channel was established with CMU and feasibility study was made. PPRC decided to design and implement a kernel upwardly compatible to MACH. Though MACH was chosen as a model, all important design decisions were taken by the steering committee of PPRC supervising the project in consultation with the sposoring industries and organizations.

MACH was chosen as the model by the PPRC due to its advanced features such as adaptability to various architectures and support of multiprocessor architectures. To test the capabilities of MACH for its support for multiprocessor architecture, a 386 based distributed memory multiprocessor system was designed by a team of hardware engineers in 1992-1993 under my guidence. At the time of completion of this project, Indian computer inudstry saw the introduction of 486. This along with the success of dual 386 motivated us to design a dual 486 based system

While dual 486 project was nearing its completion, the delegates from the Intel Asia, Bangalore visited IIT-Bombay upon request and the development and research activities at IIT-Bombay were presented to them. The presentation included details of dual X86 based systems along with other projets. Intel Inc. in appreciation of efforts of IIT-Bombay in the field of multiprocessor architecture sponsored a sum of Rs. 75,000 towards the implementation of dual pentium project. They also suggested IIT-Bombay to submit a proposal for the setup of a lab exclusively for Intel equipments in the department of CSE, IIT-Bombay. The proposal submitted by me was considered favourably by Intel Inc, and equipments worth of $100,000 was sanctioned towards the setup of the lab. Thus the Intel Lab was setup at CSE department and was inaugurated by the present president of Intel Inc., Dr. Craig Barrett on May 6, 1996 and we have been receiving regular upgrade from Intel from then. The equipments in the lab was last upgraded to Pentium III in 2001.