Data exchange processor for distributed computing system

Claim 1

In a computer system having several slave computers connected with each other by a transmission line, each of said slave computers having an individual storage device assigned thereto, and a master computer connected to said transmission line for controlling said system, said master computer having a storage device, the combination comprising; a programmable data exchange computer connected to said transmission line, said data exchange computer being separate from said master computer and having an individual program storage device, timing means for sequentially generating timing signals for each of three operational phases, said master computer having means for responding to said timing signals during a control phase of said phases to cause said master computer to communicate with said slave computers the tasks they are to resolve in a subsequent phase, said slave computers having means for responding to an autonomous phase of said phases to resolve the tasks transmitted to them simultaneously and independently from each other and independently of said master computer, said slave computers having means for reporting to said master computer completion of execution by means of a stop-signal, said data exchange computer having means for responding to said timing signals during an information transmission phase of said phases after one of said slave computers has emitted a stop-signal, for exchanging data between storage devices of the slave computers and the master computer, said data being exchanged in accordance with programs stored in the program storage device of said data exchange computer.