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Questions and Answers
What has driven the increase in speed of HPC systems from Gflops in the early 1990s to Pflops in 2010?
Which technology is NOT primarily associated with HTC applications?
What characterizes a cluster of cooperative computers in HPC systems?
According to the evolutionary trend in computing, which system is primarily focused on distributed file sharing?
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What is the main purpose of clustering and P2P technologies in the context of applied computing?
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What percentage of computer users primarily use supercomputers?
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What is a key feature of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks compared to HPC systems?
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What trend has occurred in the use of supercomputers over time?
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What is the primary benefit of parallel and distributed computing systems?
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Which type of computing has become more crucial due to the demands of modern Internet users?
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How many generations of computer technology have evolved over the last 60 years?
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What was a significant development in computing technology from 1980 to 2000?
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Why has the Linpack Benchmark become less optimal for measuring system performance?
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Which technology emerged as essential for providing services to a large number of Internet users?
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What significant shift in computing occurred from 1990 onwards?
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What was one of the popular computing devices among small businesses from 1960 to 1980?
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Study Notes
Scalable Computing Over the Internet
- Evolution in computing technology has spanned over 60 years, changing platforms and environments.
- Distributed computing employs multiple computers to tackle large-scale problems, promoting data-intensive, network-centric solutions.
- Modern computer systems utilizing parallel and distributed computing significantly enhance societal quality of life and information services.
The Age of Internet Computing
- Billions of daily Internet users necessitate high-performance computing (HPC) services from supercomputers and large data centers.
- Traditional Linpack Benchmark for HPC is deemed inadequate due to the surge in demand for high-throughput computing (HTC) systems.
- Data centers must upgrade servers, storage systems, and networks to support advanced network-based computing and web services.
Platform Evolution
- Computer technology progresses through five generations, lasting 10 to 20 years, sometimes overlapping.
- 1950-1970: Development of mainframes like IBM 360 and CDC 6400 for enterprise and government use.
- 1960-1980: Popularity of minicomputers (e.g., DEC PDP 11) among small businesses and academia.
- 1970-1990: Rise of personal computers built with very large scale integration (VLSI) microprocessors.
- 1980-2000: Increase in portable devices and applications, both wired and wireless.
- Post-1990: Proliferation of HPC and HTC systems hidden in clusters, grids, or Internet clouds for consumer and web-scale computing.
- HPC systems transitioning from supercomputers to clusters of cooperative computers to enable resource sharing.
High-Performance Computing (HPC)
- HPC focuses on maximizing raw speed performance; progression from Gflops to Pflops between the 1990s and 2010.
- Professionals in scientific, engineering, and manufacturing fields drive demands for faster HPC systems.
- Top 500 supercomputers are ranked by floating-point speed in Linpack benchmark, but represent less than 10% of total computer users.
- Most users engage with desktop computers or large servers for tasks such as Internet searching and market-driven computing.
High-Throughput Computing (HTC)
- HTC systems prioritize thoroughness over raw speed, catering to more extensive user bases largely outside the supercomputer realm.
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks structured for distributed file sharing and content delivery focus on HTC applications, contrasting with HPC-centric models.
Technological Trends
- The growing emphasis on cloud computing and web services shifts focus from HPC to HTC applications, influencing service-oriented architectures (SOA).
- The development of computational and data grids reflects advancements in both clustering and P2P technologies, supporting diverse computing needs over the Internet.
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Description
This quiz explores the evolution of computing technology, focusing on changes in machine architecture, operating systems, and network connectivity. It emphasizes the role of distributed computing systems in solving large-scale problems via the Internet. Test your understanding of these concepts and their applications in modern computing.
