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Operating System Strategies

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Encyclopedia of Parallel Computing

Synonyms

Parallel operating system; Resource management for parallel computers; Runtime system

Definition

An operating system manages the processors and other resources of a parallel computing system. Multiple instances of individual operating systems and the runtime system form a parallel operating system, which manages the resources of the entire machine and provides services for users and system administrators to obtain information and control various aspects of the machine and the application jobs that run on it.

Discussion

Introduction

A parallel computing system employs two or more processing elements (PE) which can be single or multicore CPUs plus attached Graphic Processing Units (GPU) or other accelerators. Usually the PEs are general-purpose microprocessors, but specialized CPUs have been used. These PEs and other resources in the system need to be managed so they can run parallel jobs and be used effectively.

Some of the tasks of an OS for a parallel system are the same as...

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Bibliograhy

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Riesen, R., Maccabe, A.B. (2011). Operating System Strategies. In: Padua, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parallel Computing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09766-4_211

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