HP-UX 11i Internals

Chapter 12. Multiprocessing and HP-UX

There are many challenges in the implementation of a multiprocessor computer system. One of the first decisions to be made is whether the system will be symmetric or asymmetric. In a symmetric system, all processors have equal access to the system and play equal roles. In an asymmetric system, one processor is “in charge,” and it delegates work to the others. With the exception of some boot time tasks, HP-UX is symmetric. During boot, one processor does the initial bring-up, but once the other processors are started, all have equal access. (See Chapter 15, “System Initialization,” for details of the system boot process). The HP-UX implementation has the following characteristics:

• Each processor has equal ...