>My original question is completely answered, but I've got a corollary question now. I understand the concept of MP overhead perfectly. If one guy can do a >job in two hours, it's unlikely that two guys could accomplish the same thing in one hour. So I understand why in aggregate a 5-way box is not five times >as fast as a 1-way box.
I would modify the analogy slightly as follows: Imagine two guys working on two projects, but having to share tools. How much time is lost in having to wait for a tool to become available, or to communicate with one another to see who has the tool, etc. It isn't the task itself that consumes the time, but the coordination behind every action that elongates the activity. In short, the answer is that the MP effect is in the "hardware" (using the term loosely) operation of the CP(s) in coordinating the actions that are largely invisibile to the operating system. Adam ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
