Monday, June 22, 2009

5.Differentiate Symmetric Multiprocessing and Asymmetric Multiprocessing.
Symmetric multiprocessing treats all processors as equals, and I/O can be processed on any CPU. Asymmetric multiprocessing has one master CPU and the remainder CPUs are slaves. The master distributes tasks among the slaves, and I/O is usually done by the master only. Multiprocessors can save money, by not duplicating power supplies, housings, and peripherals. They can execute programs more quickly, and can have increased reliability. They are also more complex in both hardware and software than uniprocessor systems.

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