<architecture, parallel> (CMP) The partitioning of
processors into separate computing environments running
different operating systems.
The term cellular multiprocessing appears to have been coined
by Unisys, who are developing a system where computers
communicate as clustered machines through a high speed bus,
rather than through communication protocols such as
TCP/IP.
The Unisys system is based on Intel processors, initially
the Pentium II Xeon and moving on to the 64-bit Merced
processors later in 1999. It will be scalable from four up to
32 processors, which can be clustered or partitioned in
various ways. For example a sixteen processor system could be
configured as four Windows NT systems (each functioning as a
four-processor symmetric multiprocessing system), or an
8-way NT and 8-way Unix system.
Supported operating systems will be Windows NT, SCO's
Unixware 7.0, Unisys' SVR4 Unix and possibly the OS2200
and MCP-AS mainframe operating systems (with the assistance
of Unisys' own dedicated chipset).
