Architecture

1. The fundamental constituents of a fabric are nodes and links.
2. A node consists of processor(s), memory, and/or peripherals – or their functional equivalents.
3. Links provide a functional connection between nodes and serve as the basis of coupling.
4. A fabric contains one or more regions of tightly coupled nodes, called cells. The simplest cell is a single node. Tightly coupled means a cell appears the same as a single node, even though it consists of potentially many nodes. Tight coupling may be achieved in hardware, software, or both, though performance will vary greatly with implementation.
5. Within the fabric, cells are loosely coupled with each other. A loose coupling of cells does not appear the same as a single node.
6. The fabric as a whole, and each cell within, can grow or shrink in a modular fashion, meaning nodes and links can be added and removed.
7. The boundaries of the fabric, and of cells within the fabric, are potentially fluid. Nodes from the fabric surrounding a cell may join that cell. Nodes within a cell may leave that cell and join the surrounding fabric. Cells can fission as well as fuse.