Publisher's Synopsis
Parallel computer systems offer advantages such as processing speed, memory and disc capacity, input/output capability, and systems availability. The theme of this collection is the way in which these advantages can be realized in business-information processing applications.;The book is divided into four sections, the first of which deals with the characteristics of information processing and the reasons for using parallel systems, and includes discussion of the Oracle relational-database system. Focusing on parallel architectures, the second section discusses existing systems and future developments, and considers the relative advantages of general-purpose architectures over specialized ones for specific applications, together with the merits of SIMD and MIMD architectures. The book then examines the provision of software tools and programming models, with an emphasis on how these can be used effectively to customize systems to fit the practical, day-to-day requirements of commercial users. The final part of the book brings together the concerns of each of the previous sections, looking at the range of applications for parallel information processing in a commercial environment.
