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Parallel Computing and Distributed Computing Comparison

Parallel computing executes multiple tasks simultaneously on multiple processors within a single machine, utilizing shared memory, while distributed computing divides tasks across multiple networked computers with independent memory. The goal of parallel computing is to speed up execution of tasks, whereas distributed computing aims to manage large-scale workloads. Key differences include system type, memory access, communication methods, fault tolerance, and use cases.

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11 views1 page

Parallel Computing and Distributed Computing Comparison

Parallel computing executes multiple tasks simultaneously on multiple processors within a single machine, utilizing shared memory, while distributed computing divides tasks across multiple networked computers with independent memory. The goal of parallel computing is to speed up execution of tasks, whereas distributed computing aims to manage large-scale workloads. Key differences include system type, memory access, communication methods, fault tolerance, and use cases.

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enp8s0
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Parallel computing and distributed computing both aim to improve performance by performing

multiple tasks at the same time, but they differ in how and where computation happens. Here's a
clear breakdown:

Parallel Computing

 Definition: Multiple tasks are executed simultaneously on multiple processors/cores


within a single machine (or tightly-coupled system).
 Shared memory: All processors usually have access to a shared memory space.
 Typical example: Multi-core CPUs running parallel threads in scientific simulations or
image processing.
 Goal: Speed up execution by splitting a task into smaller parts that run concurrently.
 Hardware: Runs on a single computer or tightly integrated system.

Distributed Computing

 Definition: A task is divided across multiple computers (nodes) connected over a


network.
 Independent memory: Each node has its own memory; they communicate via message
passing.
 Typical example: Cloud computing platforms like Hadoop or Spark processing big data
across multiple servers.
 Goal: Handle large-scale problems or workloads that a single system can't manage alone.
 Hardware: Involves multiple, often geographically separated, computers.

Key Differences:

Aspect Parallel Computing Distributed Computing


System Type Single machine or tightly-coupled CPUs Multiple networked machines (nodes)
Memory Shared memory Distributed memory
Communication Through memory Through network (message passing)
Fault Tolerance Low (failure crashes entire process) High (nodes can fail independently)
Use Case High-speed tasks needing tight sync Large-scale tasks needing scalability

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