DISSERTATION PROPOSAL: PARALLEL/DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING
Parallel and distributed processing are terms that are used by laypeople and computing professionals alike, yet many who use these terms do not understand the ramifications of distributed processing systems. Distributed processing brings together elements of networking and parallel processing, but also encompasses hardware architecture, communication protocols and computing logistics that are well beyond the scope of many computing professionals. The proposed research would provide insight into the current state of the art of the distributed processing field, challenges facing the market, and directions in which additional research should be directed.
The proposed research is a comprehensive literature review of distributed processing encompassing both an historical perspective as well as a report on the current state of the market. Specifically, the research would begin by defining what is meant by distributed processing, and what constitutes a distributed processing system. The research would then examine how distributed processing came into existence from both a technological and a "real-world" standpoint: aside from the technical ability to create distributed systems, what problems do these systems solve?
The techniques used to accomplish distributed systems would also be considered. There are many different ways to accomplish distribution, including distribution of data, distribution of computations, and combinations where both are distributed in some ways. Examples of how distributed systems are being used today to solve specific problems as well as how they have been used in the past will also be considered. It is in this section that the technology required to support distributed systems will be presented.
There are, of course, risks associated with distributed systems. Both AT&T and ARPANET had early, spectacular system-wide
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