Supercomputing and Parallel Computing

Supercomputing is that genre of computing system which is employed by the Supercomputers. Supercomputing comprise crunching at the highest rate. Parallel computing on the other hand means calculations by computers that consist of more than one processor or parallel computers for breaking up the inputted data. The data thus simplified is coordinated and solved simultaneously on the different processors.

Supercomputing works on three basic processes:

• Vector Processing � These are supercomputers that were only a single machine, used for crunching numbers at a high speed. They were the earliest sort of supercomputers.

• Parallel Processing � Actually parallel computing is a subcategory of Supercomputing. Parallel computing makes the processing of the data more efficient and simplified by distributing the tasks among many computers connected to the main system. The combination of the several machines to split the task is done by three methods:

Failover clustering � If any one computer system in the parallel system fails or breaks down, then its tasks are automatically handed over to one of the parallel systems. Thus, this type of computing system retains and resumes valuable information even in case of computer failures.

Load balancing � These clustering systems are employed in case of server overload. To reduce the processing pressure on the server computer, the server program is distributed to parallel computing system.

High performance clustering � High speed network is available to all the parallel computers for them to crunch the numbers more efficiently.

• Distributed or Grid Computing � This type of computing implies the method of making use of all the personal computers connected to the Internet. Of course, in that case the concerned computers have to be idle.

upercomputers that work on the principle of supercomputing are one of the many types of modern computing machines which are capable of giving very speedy calculations. It is because of their high speed processing ability that Supercomputer systems are used in such works as animation graphics, weather forecasting, nuclear research work, petroleum research works, crypt analysis, molecular modeling and the likes.