Книга: Distributed operating systems

6.2. WHAT IS SHARED MEMORY?

In this section we will examine several kinds of shared memory multiprocessors, ranging from simple ones that operate over a single bus, to advanced ones with highly sophisticated caching schemes. These machines are important for an understanding of distributed shared memory because much of the DSM work is being inspired by advances in multiprocessor architecture. Furthermore, many of the algorithms are so similar that it is sometimes difficult to tell whether an advanced machine is a multiprocessor or a multicomputer using a hardware implementation of distributed shared memory. We will conclude by comparing the various multiprocessor architectures to some distributed shared memory systems and discover that there is a spectrum of possible designs, from those entirely in hardware to those entirely in software. By examing the entire spectrum, we can get a better feel for where DSM fits in.

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