High Performance Parallel Interface

HIPPI (High-Performance Parallel Interface) is a standard point-to-point protocol for transmitting large amounts of data at up to billions of bits per second over relatively short distances, mainly on local area networks (LANs). The proponents of HIPPI believe that its use can make computers, interconnected storage devices, and other resources on a local area network function as though they were all within a single supercomputer. (One firm has coined the term SuperLAN for this idea.) HIPPI is considered an ideal technology for the transfer of "big data," such as data warehouse updating, audio and video streams, and data backup within a range up to 10 kilometers.
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<hardware, standard> (HIPPI, previously HPPI) A connection-oriented, point-to-point networking standard using circuit-switching technology at a speed of 800 Mbits/s or 1.6 Gbits/s (simplex or full-duplex). HIPPI is often used for short distances (up to 10km depending on cable type) to connect a supercomputer to routers, frame buffers, mass-storage peripherals and other computers.
HIPPI was developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is now ANSI standard X3T9/88-127. Standards for interconnecting with ATM, SONet, and fibre channel are in development.
HIPPI Networking Forum.
(1997-06-29)