For release: April 5, 1999
Contacts:
Chris Csanady, Ames Lab Scalable Computing Laboratory, (515)
294-7336
David Halstead, Ames Lab Scalable Computing Laboratory, (515) 294-1943
Saren Johnston, Public Affairs, (515) 294-3474
AMES, Iowa -- Chris Csanady, a research programmer in the Scalable Computing Lab at the
U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and an Iowa State University undergraduate
student in physics, has authored a unique driver code for high-performance computer
networking.
Csanady's code is the only BSD Unix Gigabit Ethernet network interface card driver
available today, and is the result of ongoing collaboration between the SCL and Packet
Engines, an Alcatel company and a worldwide leader in Gigabit networking solutions.
Alcatel, which is based in Paris, specializes in communication technologies and has
120,000 companies worldwide. Csanady's driver was designed for use with Packet Engines'
G-NIC II, the industry's only second-generation Gigabit Ethernet NIC, which allows
specialized applications, such as intranets, server clusters, graphics systems and World
Wide Web servers, that require high-speed, reliable network connectivity.
Csanady also wrote the driver for the first generation Packet Engines' cards and used the
code in an internship project at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories.
In December, he presented a paper on the BSD Unix driver at the 2nd International
Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing and Networks in Brisbane, Australia.
"For an undergraduate student to present a paper at an international conference, work
with industry and other national labs, and be able to say, 'Yes, I've done original
research,' is exceptional," said David Halstead, an associate scientist in the Lab's
Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences program.
Mark Gordon, director of the Lab's Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences Program
and an ISU distinguished professor of chemistry, added, "Chris represents one of the
outstanding benefits of Ames Lab's unique relationship with Iowa State University. The two
institutions are totally intertwined -- almost inseparable. That gives us the best of both
worlds. We get people like Chris, really bright undergraduates who gravitate to the
forefront of science and engineering."
Ames Laboratory is operated for the Department of Energy by Iowa State University. The Lab
conducts research into areas of national concern that include energy resources, high-speed
computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new
materials.
Last revision: 4/5/99 sd