A taxonomy of programming models for symmetric multiprocessors and SMP clusters

Abstract

The basic processing element, from PCs to large systems, is rapidly becoming a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP). As a result, the nodes of a parallel computer will often be an SMP. The resulting mixed hardware models (combining shared-memory and distributed memory) provide a challenge to system software developers to provide users with programming models that are portable, understandable, and efficient. This paper describes and compares a variety of programming models for a parallel computer made up of SMP nodes.