Massively Parallel Processor. A parallel computer that employs a scalable architecture that can scale to hundreds if not thousands of processors. Due to the bandwidth limitations of shared-memory architectures, MPP machines are almost always based on a distributed-memory, message-passing architecture.
A high-performance computing (HPC) architecture that uses dozens, hundreds or even thousands of processors operating in parallel. Specifically, 32 or more processors. See HPC and supercomputer.
Maternity Pay Period during which SMP is payable.
Multi-Protocol Processor. A large-scale integration device for the serial interface card that acts as the interface between host and local memory, and is the master to the host bus and DDLC.
Massively Parallel Processing. A computer hardware architecture designed to obtain high performance through the use of large numbers (tens, hundreds or thousands) of individually simple, low powered processors, each with its own memory. Normally runs Unix and must have more than one Unix kernel or more than one ‘ready to run’ queue.
Massive Parallel Processing. The interconnected group of processors with processing functions divided among the individual processors using automated algorithms for optimized workload distribution.
Massively Parallel Processing. The strict definition of MPP is a machine with many interconnected processors, where `many' is dependent on the state of the art. Currently, the majority of high-end machines have fewer than 256 processors. A more practical definition of an MPP is a machine whose architecture is capable of having many processors - that is, it is scalable. In particular, machines with a distributed memory design (in comparison with shared memory designs) are usually synonymous with MPPs since they are not limited to a certain number of processors. In this sense, "many" is a number larger than the current largest number of processors in a shared-memory machine.
Massive Parallel Processing. The "shared nothing" approach of parallel computing.
Massively Parallel Processor. Generally denotes a distributed memory computer with more than a "few" independent processors or nodes. At CCS, the Compaq Alphaserver SC and the IBM SP are MPP machines.
Massively parallel processing, a computer configuration that is able to use hundreds or thousands of CPUs simultaneously. In MPP each node may be a single CPU or a collection of SMP CPUs. An MPP collection of SMP nodes is sometimes called an SMP cluster. Each node has its own copy of the operating system, memory, and disk storage, and there is a data or process exchange mechanism so that each computer can work on a different part of a problem. Software must be written specifically to take advantage of this architecture.
Refers to a Massively Parallel Processor.
Massively Parallel Processor. Computer hardware architecture allowing independently coordinated processors and memory space.
Massively parallel processor, a parallel system with many processors. "Many" is usually defined as 1000 or more processors.
Massively parallel processing. An approach to the design of computer systems that involves the integration of thousands of microprocessors within a single computer.
A computer which contains two or more processors which co-operate to carry out an operation. Each processor has its own memory, operating system and hard disk. It is also known as a "shared nothing" architecture. The processors pass messages to each other.