Parallel computer architectures are now going to real applications! This fact is demonstrated by the large number of application areas covered in this book (see section on applications of parallel computer architectures). The applications range from image analysis to quantum mechanics and data bases. Still, the use of parallel architectures poses serious problems and requires the development of new techniques and tools. This book is a collection of best papers presented at the first workshop on two major research activities at the Universitiit Erlangen-Niirnberg and Technis che Universitiit Miinchen. At both universities, more than 100 researchers are working in the field of multiprocessor systems and network configurations and methods and tools for parallel systems. Indeed, the German Science Founda tion (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) has been sponsoring the projects under grant numbers SFB 182 and SFB 342. Research grants in the form of a Sonder forschungsbereich are given to selected German Universities in portions of three years following a thoroughful reviewing process. The overall duration of such a research grant is restricted to 12 years. The initiative at Erlangen-Niirnberg was started in 1987 and has been headed since this time by Prof. Dr. H. Wedekind. Work at TU-Miinchen began in 1990, head of this initiative is Prof. Dr. A. Bode. The authors of this book are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for its continuing support in the field of research on parallel processing. The first section of the book is devoted to hardware aspects of parallel systems.