<s>
Multistage	B-Operating_System
interconnection	I-Operating_System
networks	I-Operating_System
(	O
MINs	O
)	O
are	O
a	O
class	O
of	O
high-speed	O
computer	B-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
usually	O
composed	O
of	O
processing	B-General_Concept
elements	O
(	O
PEs	O
)	O
on	O
one	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
network	O
and	O
memory	B-General_Concept
elements	O
(	O
MEs	O
)	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
end	O
,	O
connected	O
by	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
(	O
SEs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
themselves	O
are	O
usually	O
connected	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
stages	O
,	O
hence	O
the	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MINs	O
are	O
typically	O
used	O
in	O
high-performance	O
or	O
parallel	O
computing	O
as	O
a	O
low-latency	O
interconnection	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
traditional	O
packet	B-Protocol
switching	I-Protocol
networks	O
)	O
,	O
though	O
they	O
could	O
be	O
implemented	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
a	O
packet	B-Protocol
switching	I-Protocol
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
network	O
is	O
typically	O
used	O
for	O
routing	O
purposes	O
,	O
it	O
could	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
co-processor	O
to	O
the	O
actual	O
processors	O
for	O
such	O
uses	O
as	O
sorting	B-Algorithm
;	O
cyclic	B-Algorithm
shifting	I-Algorithm
,	O
as	O
in	O
a	O
perfect	O
shuffle	O
network	O
;	O
and	O
bitonic	B-Algorithm
sorting	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
dynamic	O
interconnect	O
networks	O
,	O
the	O
nodes	O
are	O
interconnected	O
via	O
an	O
array	O
of	O
simple	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
alternative	O
to	O
this	O
scheme	O
is	O
staged	O
switching	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
required	O
to	O
realize	O
a	O
non-blocking	O
network	O
in	O
highest	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
rearrangeable	O
non-blocking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blocking	O
network	O
uses	O
least	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
types	O
of	O
multistage	B-Operating_System
interconnection	I-Operating_System
networks	I-Operating_System
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Omega	O
network	O
consists	O
of	O
multiple	O
stages	O
of	O
2*2	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
N*N	O
omega	O
network	O
has	O
log(N )	O
number	O
of	O
stages	O
and	O
N/2	O
number	O
of	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
in	O
each	O
stage	O
for	O
perfect	O
shuffle	O
between	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
switching	B-Protocol
element	O
can	O
employ	O
its	O
own	O
switching	B-Protocol
algorithm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
12	O
switching	B-Protocol
element	O
for	O
total	O
permutation	O
of	O
2^12	O
=	O
4096	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
8*8	O
Beneš	O
network	O
has	O
5	O
stages	O
of	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
,	O
and	O
each	O
stage	O
has	O
4	O
switching	B-Protocol
elements	O
.	O
</s>
