PDC 2 - 1

Which statement best defines a parallel system in this context?

• A single processor executing multiple tasks sequentially

• Multiple processors or cores working together simultaneously to solve a problem

• A network of unrelated computers sharing files over the internet

• A system where processors never need to coordinate

In inter-processor communication, what is the primary purpose of processors exchanging data and synchronizing their actions?

• To reduce power consumption only

• To cooperate effectively while working on a problem

• To eliminate the need for memory

• To allow processors to operate independently without coordination

Which are identified as the two main types of communication in parallel systems?

• Packet switching and circuit switching

• Synchronous and asynchronous I/O

• Shared memory communication and message passing communication

• Broadcast and multicast communication

Which statement best defines shared memory communication in a computing system?

• Each processor has its own isolated memory and exchanges messages over a network.

• All processors access a common memory space to exchange data.

• Processors communicate only through files stored on disk.

• Communication happens exclusively via hardware interrupts without memory access.

How does communication typically occur in a shared memory system?

• One processor writes to a common memory location and another reads it.

• Each processor sends packets over a bus to others directly.

• A central controller broadcasts messages to local caches only.

• Threads exchange data only through system calls without memory writes.

Which is the most appropriate example of shared memory communication?

• Distributed servers exchanging REST API messages.

• Multi-core CPUs where threads share variables in RAM.

• Two computers connected by Ethernet using sockets.

• Cloud microservices communicating via message queues.

Which advantage is specifically associated with shared memory communication?

• High tolerance to network failures.

• Fast data exchange with a simple programming model using variables and pointers.

• Automatic avoidance of race conditions.

• Unlimited scalability across many machines.

Which issue most directly motivates the use of semaphores, locks, or monitors in shared memory systems?

• Bandwidth limitations of network interfaces.

• Synchronization issues such as race conditions and deadlocks.

• The need to serialize disk access.

• Memory fragmentation in heap allocators.

Which characteristic reflects a limitation of shared memory communication as systems grow?

• Implicit communication enables unlimited scaling.

• Tight coupling leads to limited scalability.

• Low communication overhead guarantees linear speedup.

• No synchronization requirement as processor count increases.

Which statement best defines message passing communication in computing systems?

• Processors share a single global memory and access it directly.

• Processors have private memory and communicate by sending messages.

• Threads within one process coordinate through locks on shared variables.

• A central server writes to a common cache for all processors.