PowerWeb





distributed processing for Macintosh networks





presentation to the



Walla Walla College

Edward F. Cross School of Engineering



Submitted by
Bob Clark & Elden Wood
21 February 1995





Copyright (c) 1995 Bob Clark and Elden Wood






Abstract

Parallel and distributed processing are potent computing concepts, and many powerful architectures have been implemented for parallel and distributed processing. The Macintosh network distributed-processing market is still almost empty, although thousands of Macintosh networks exist in educational and corporate environments.

A robust, unobtrusive, generic, functional distributed processing scheme to be used on a network of Macintosh computers (known as PowerWeb) has been designed and implemented. PowerWeb is designed for the eclectic atmosphere of a corporate environment. Potential unstabilizing issues are analyzed and prevented: widely varying hardware capabilities; differing software uses; and user-specific CPU load differences. By being designed robustly enough to function successfully in this heterogenous climate, PowerWeb functions superbly in the typically homogenous, well-monitored environment of an academic network.

PowerWeb offers a distributed-processing model that relies on already-existing systems to tap heretofore untapped processing power.


PowerWeb Overview

Parallel and distributed processing are potent computing concepts, and much research has gone into implementing parallel and distributed architectures and algorithms.

PowerWeb is a Macintosh network-based distributed processing paradigm designed for use in a corporate environment. It is a successful culmination of our initial proposal "to design, implement, and deliver a robust, unobtrusive, generic, functional distributed processing scheme to be used on a network of Macintosh computers" (Clark 1994, 2).