C APPENDIX

Grid, Cluster, Utility, and Symmetric Multiprocessing Computing

Grids leverage underutilized CPU power from machines connected to the Internet (or a private network) to run various applications. Clusters are a formal collection of CPU resources (servers normally) connected to a private network for use in computing. At the most fundamental level, when two or more dedicated computers are used together to solve a problem, it is considered a cluster. Utility computing hides the complexity of resource (computers, networks, storage, etc.) management and provides what business wants: utilization on demand. Finally, symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) harnesses the power of N CPUs running in parallel. All of these techniques may be applied to ...

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