BIS Final Rule Revises CCL for Wassenaar List and Interpretation for Computers with NUMA Architecture
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a final rule, effective April 29, 2004, which revises certain entries on the Commerce Control List (CCL) controlled for national security reasons in Categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Part I (telecommunications), 5 Part II (information security), 6, and 7 to conform with changes in the List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies maintained and agreed to by the governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies that were agreed to at the December 2003 meeting.
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(The Wassenaar Arrangement focuses on implementation of effective export controls on
strategic items with the objective of improving regional and international security and stability.)
In addition, BIS' final rule adds a paragraph to Interpretation 12 on "Computers" to provide guidance as to how to calculate the Composite Theoretical Performance (CTP) for computer systems with "non-uniform memory access" (NUMA) architecture, and to define NUMA.
This is Part I of a multi-part series of summaries on this BIS final rule and focuses on the revisions made to Interpretation 12 on "Computers." See future issues for additional parts.
BIS Guidance on the CTP for Computers with NUMA ArchitectureAccording to BIS, with the advancement of high-performance and relatively inexpensive microprocessors, NUMA has established itself as a dominant technology and it has become necessary to clarify how the CTP values of NUMA machines should be calculated.
As a result, this final rule amends Interpretation 12: "Computers" in 15 CFR 770.2(l) in order to add a new paragraph (3) which provides guidance as to how to calculate the CTP for computer systems with NUMA architecture.
New paragraph (3) states that computer systems with NUMA architecture should use the non-shared memory method in determining the CTP value for the system. New paragraph (3) further states that in determining the aggregate performance of Computing Elements (CEs) for NUMA systems, exporters should follow the instructions for groups of CEs not sharing memory, interconnected by one or more data channels.
In addition, this final rule adds a new note to paragraph (l)(3) which defines NUMA as a multiprocessing architecture in which memory is separated into local and distant banks. According to BIS, NUMA is characterized by memory on the same processor board as the processor (local memory) is accessed faster than memory on other processor boards (distant memory).
(15 CFR 770.2 contains commodity, technology, and software interpretations that clarify the scope of controls where such scope is not readily apparent from the CCL.)
BIS contact - | Sharron Cook (202) 482-2440 (general questions) |
BIS final rule (D/N 040414115-4115-01, FR Pub 04/29/04) available at
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-9540.pdf.