Operating System Lecture 3
Operating System Lecture 3
By
Dr Tariq
(Lecture 3)
1
Computer-System Architecture
Single general-purpose processor
Most systems have special-purpose processors as well
Multiprocessors systems
Also known as parallel systems, tightly-coupled systems
Advantages include:
Increased throughput
Economy of scale
Increased reliability – graceful-degradation/fault-tolerance
Two types:
Symmetric Multiprocessing – each processor performs all tasks
Asymmetric Multiprocessing – each processor is assigned a
specific task.
Symmetric Multiprocessing Architecture
Multicore Systems
Most CPU design now includes multiple computing cores on a
single chip. Such multiprocessor systems are termed multicore.
Multicore systems can be more efficient than multiple chips with
single cores because:
On-chip communication is faster than between-chip communication.
One chip with multiple cores uses significantly less power than
multiple single-core chips, an important issue for laptops as well as
mobile devices.
Note -- while multicore systems are multiprocessor systems, not
all multiprocessor systems are multicore.
A dual-core with two cores placed on the same chip
Clustered Systems
Like multiprocessor systems, but multiple systems working
together