distributedmemoryjärjestelmiin

Distributed memory systems, known in Finnish as distributed memoryjärjestelmiin, represent a computing paradigm where multiple processing units each have their own private memory. Unlike shared memory systems where all processors can access a common memory space, in distributed memory systems, processors communicate with each other by explicitly passing messages. This communication is typically achieved through network connections, such as Ethernet or specialized interconnects.

The fundamental principle behind distributed memory is that each processor operates independently with its own local data. If a processor needs data that resides in another processor's memory, it must request that data through a message-passing mechanism. This message passing can involve sending data, signaling events, or requesting computations. Popular message-passing libraries, such as Message Passing Interface (MPI), are commonly used to facilitate this inter-processor communication.

Distributed memory architectures are highly scalable, making them suitable for tackling very large computational problems that would overwhelm single machines or shared memory systems. They are prevalent in supercomputers and large clusters. However, the explicit message passing can introduce latency and complexity, requiring careful programming to optimize performance and avoid bottlenecks. The design of algorithms for distributed memory systems often focuses on minimizing communication overhead and balancing computational load across the processors.