Parallel Computer Architecture

The book is a comprehensive coverage of the architectural aspects and oganisational features of computing systems.

For a long time the design of data processing systems has been mainly based on experience and practical considerations more than on formal quantitative approaches. This was true both in the design of computer architecture and in the design of software systems such as operating systems and database systems. Two relevant exceptions were the early studies in switching theory, concerned with such problems as minimization and reliability, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the general mathematical approach to computer system modeling and performance evaluation. More recently, the evaluation of distributed computing related to technological advances in microelectronics, has increased the need for quantitative studies for optimizing the design of computer systems.

Innovations in hardware architecture, like hyper-threading or multicore processors, mean that parallel computing resources are available for inexpensive desktop computers. In only a few years, many standard software products will be based on concepts