Multiprocessing systems embrace both new and conventional architectures
Margrid B. Schindler · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1984
Based on pipelined, parallel, and data-flow schemes, multiprocessing systems are breaking into uncharted territory. The resulting multiprocessor architectures, however, are so diverse that finding the best one for a given application is a major chore. Serving as a guide, this report on multiprocessing points out safe areas, as well as pitfalls. It explores several popular schemes for classifying multiprocessing-the degree of coupling, how data and instructions flow through the system, and how processors exchange information. Benchmarks run on both experimental and current designs measure the potential of these systems. When computation is driven not by simple data but by entire processes, architecture can reach new levels of sophistication. To avoid being penalized by this growing complexity, the system designer should investigate new languages and the hardware being tailored to them. The range extends from slave coprocessors to fault-tolerant networks that contain nearly 100 CPUs. 3 references.