This paper examines the problems of deadlock avoidance in multistage networks, and proposes a new class of scalable topologies for constructing large networks without introducing loops that could cause deadlocks. The new topologies, called "fractahedrons," are deadlock-free and reduce the maximum link contention compared to other networks. The use of fractahedral topologies is illustrated by various configurations of 6-port ServerNet routers. The properties of fractahedral networks are compared with networks configured as a mesh, hypercube or fat tree.
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