Networks of workstations (NOWs) are a type of parallel and distributed computing system that consists of a collection of interconnected workstations. NOWs are typically used to solve large-scale problems that are too computationally expensive for a single workstation to handle.
NOWs are typically distributed memory systems, meaning that each workstation has its own private memory. There is no shared memory between the workstations. This makes NOWs more scalable than shared memory systems, but it also makes them more challenging to program.
Advantages of NOWs
NOWs offer a number of advantages over other types of parallel and distributed computing systems, including:
Scalability: NOWs can be scaled to a large number of workstations, making them ideal for solving very large-scale problems.
Cost-effectiveness: NOWs can be built using relatively inexpensive workstations, making them a cost-effective solution for parallel and distributed computing.
Availability: NOWs are typically built using existing workstations, which makes them more readily available than other types of parallel and distributed computing systems.
Challenges of NOWs
NOWs also present a number of challenges, including:
Programming complexity: Programming NOWs can be more complex than programming shared memory systems, due to the lack of shared memory.
Heterogeneity: NOWs are often composed of heterogeneous workstations, which can make it difficult to develop parallel and distributed applications that run efficiently on all workstations.
Network performance: The performance of NOWs can be limited by the performance of the network that interconnects the workstations.
Applications of NOWs
NOWs are used in a wide variety of applications, including:
Scientific computing: NOWs are often used to solve large-scale scientific problems, such as climate modeling and drug discovery.
Engineering computing: NOWs are also used to solve large-scale engineering problems, such as computational fluid dynamics and structural analysis.
Image processing: NOWs can be used to perform image processing tasks, such as medical imaging and video processing.
Data mining: NOWs can be used to perform data mining tasks, such as web search and fraud detection.