Multiprocessor Systems

,
Multiprocessor systems are the CPUs having more than one processor communicating each other and sharing same resources. Today is the world of multiprocessor systems which is also called tightly coupled systems or parallel systems. All the processors usually share bus, cache and memory. Modern multiprocessor systems have both local separate L1 cache and shared L2 cache.

Multiprocessor systems can give improved performance. If the number of processor is N, then the total output of entire system should be N times the output of individual, at least theoretically. This is not practical because of the overhead associated with maintaining and controlling different processors and contention of shared resources.

Another advantage of multiprocessor systems are that it economical than multiple single processor systems because of the cost associated with peripherals storage and power supplies. On the other hand multiprocessor systems can share these resources.

Reliability associated with each system also increases in multiprocessor systems. This is because a properly configured multiprocessor system has the ability withstand any damage caused to any of the individual processor in it.

No comments: