multiprocessing (redirected from Multiple processing units)

multiprocessing

Mode of computer operation in which two or more processors (see CPU) are connected and are active at the same time. In such a system, each processor is executing a different program or set of instructions, thus increasing computation speed over a system that has only one processor (which means only one program can be executed at a time). Because the processors must sometimes access the same resource (as when two processors must write to the same disk), a system program called the task manager has to coordinate the processors' activities.

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Simultaneous processing with two or more processors in one computer or two or more computers processing together. When two or more computers are used, they are tied together with a high-speed channel and share the general workload between them. If one fails, the other takes over. Multiprocessing is also accomplished in special-purpose computers, such as array processors, which provide concurrent processing on sets of data.

Concurrent Instruction Processing
All computers perform simultaneous functions, such as executing instructions while reading from an input device and writing to an output device. CPUs can also execute multiple instructions simultaneously from a single stream of instructions (see pipeline processing). However, multiprocessing refers specifically to the concurrent execution of two or more independent streams of instructions. See parallel processing, SMP, MPP, CMP, bus mastering and fault tolerant.

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multiprocessing - parallel processing