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Date:      Thu, 11 Mar 1999 20:52:19 -0700
From:      Steve Carter <scarter@globalcenter.net>
To:        Laurence Berland <stuyman@confusion.net>
Cc:        questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: SMP
Message-ID:  <19990311205219.A26443@globalcenter.net>
In-Reply-To: <36E885C4.A9AB6707@confusion.net>; from Laurence Berland on Thu, Mar 11, 1999 at 10:11:00PM -0500
References:  <36E885C4.A9AB6707@confusion.net>

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Symetrical Multi-Processing is multiple processors working in parallel,
therefore you get (close to) double the performance from an SMP machine
than you would for a single procesor machine with similar processors.

For instance, I have an SMP machine that uses two 233MMX processors and it
screams.  I have another machine that is a single 233MMX (those chips are
cheap..>;) and it seems to crawl by comparision.

One thing to be aware of is that on an SMP system processes run on one or
other of the processors and are not shared between the two.  This is a
benefit and also a disappointment for some.  Don't think that Doom will
run any faster/better on a 2x233MMX as on a single 233MMX, because it
won't.

IMO, advantages of SMP are lower cost per MIP and they are really good for
applications that fork processes (web server, compilations, etc.).  By
it's nature, Unix forks processes to is suited very well to multiple
processors.  A can only imagine what a SMP PII box would run like.
Crikey!

-Steve


Laurence Berland wrote:
> SInce people have been talking about it, and it started getting
> supported in 3.0, and I've got a bit of spare time, I was wondering if
> someone could either point me to a good place or just tell me, what is
> symmetric multiProcessor?  What else is there for a multiprocessor
> system?  What are the differences?
> 
> Thanks for answering my question, or at least pointing me to where they
> are answered
> 
> --
> Laurence Berland, Stuyvesant HS Debate
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> 
> Windows 98: n.
>         useless extension to a minor patch release for
>         32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a
>         16-bit patch to an 8-bit operating system
>         originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor,
>         written by a 2-bit company that can't stand for
>         1 bit of competition.
> http://stuy.debate.net
> icq #7434346                    aol imer E1101
> 
> 
> 
> 
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