Linux Pthread——2

Single Instruction, Single Data (SISD):

• A serial (non-parallel) computer
• Single Instruction: Only one instruction stream is being acted on by the CPU during any one clock cycle
• Single Data: Only one data stream is being used as input during any one clock cycle
• Deterministic execution
• This is the oldest type of computer
• Examples: older generation mainframes, minicomputers, workstations and single processor/core PCs.

Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD):

• A type of parallel computer
• Single Instruction: All processing units execute the same instruction at any given clock cycle
• Multiple Data: Each processing unit can operate on a different data element
• Best suited for specialized problems characterized by a high degree of regularity, such as graphics/image processing.
• Synchronous (lockstep) and deterministic execution
• Two varieties: Processor Arrays and Vector Pipelines
• Examples:
  • Processor Arrays: Thinking Machines CM-2, MasPar MP-1 & MP-2, ILLIAC IV
  • Vector Pipelines: IBM 9000, Cray X-MP, Y-MP & C90, Fujitsu VP, NEC SX-2, Hitachi S820, ETA10
• Most modern computers, particularly those with graphics processor units (GPUs) employ SIMD instructions and execution units.

Multiple Instruction, Single Data (MISD):

• A type of parallel computer
• Multiple Instruction: Each processing unit operates on the data independently via separate instruction streams.
• Single Data: A single data stream is fed into multiple processing units.
• Few (if any) actual examples of this class of parallel computer have ever existed.
• Some conceivable uses might be:
  • multiple frequency filters operating on a single signal stream
  • multiple cryptography algorithms attempting to crack a single coded message.

Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data (MIMD):

• A type of parallel computer
• Multiple Instruction: Every processor may be executing a different instruction stream
• Multiple Data: Every processor may be working with a different data stream
• Execution can be synchronous or asynchronous, deterministic or non-deterministic
• Currently, the most common type of parallel computer - most modern supercomputers fall into this category.
• Examples: most current supercomputers, networked parallel computer clusters and "grids", multi-processor SMP computers, multi-core PCs.
• Note: many MIMD architectures also include SIMD execution sub-components