[TriLUG] Questions about Threading

[P. L. Charles Fischer]

Programs must be written to take advantage of multi-processor boxes.  This
will only matter if your system is CPU bound by just one non-threaded
program.  If you are not now CPU bound, there is no need for a
multi-processor system.  If you are CPU bound because one program is hogging
all of the CPU resources then a multi-processor box will help.  If the hog
program is multi threaded a multi-processor system will help a lot.  If the
hog is single threaded or poorly multi threaded a multi-processor system
will help a little (letting you do other work while the hog is running).

The only way I know to check if a program will take advantage of a
multi-processor system is to try it on a multi-processor box and look at the
CPU usage.  If you have source code for the program grep for pthread.  If
pthread is found there is a good chance the program is multi threaded.  If
the program happens to be QuantIm from Zedec it is multi thread for the most
time consuming functions (sorry if this it too commercial).

-Charles Fischer

At 12:08 PM 3/26/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>I'm not a programmer, but I am curious about threading and the advantage 
>to having a multi-processor linux box (I guess running an smp kernel). 
>Do programs have to be written to take advantage of a dual-processor, or 
>will cycles be distributed evenly during a process?  How do you know if 
>your program will support multiple processors?
>
>Thanks,
>Jeff
>-- 
>Jeff Bollinger
>University of North Carolina
>IT Security Analyst
>105 Abernethy Hall
>mailto: jeff_bollinger at unc dot edu
>
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____________________________________________________________________________
P. L. Charles Fischer                                      fischer at zedec.com
					VOX: 919.465.2306	800.894.0058
ZEDEC Technologies                                         FAX: 919.465.2309
____________________________________________________________________________