Distributed Computing

Distributed Computing

As personal computers were introduced to organizations, a new model of distributed computing emerged. Instead of concentrating computing to a central device, PCs made it possible to give each worker an independent, individual computer. Each of these PCs can process and store data locally, without assistance from another machine. This meant that groups who previously had found the cost of a mainframe environment prohibitive were able to gain the benefits of networking at a far reduced cost. Under the distributed computing model, networking has evolved to enable the many distributed computers to exchange data and share resources and services among themselves. Note that these machines need not be considered equals. A Windows NT file server, for instance, is considered to be a part of a distributed network. This server stores and retrieves files for other machines, but does not do the thinking for these machines as a mainframe would have done in the centralized computing model.

The term PC initially referred to a specific device, the IBM PC computer. Over time, though, PC has become a generic term referring to any IBM-compatible workstation computer.

In summary, distributed computing involves the following:

Multiple computers are capable of operating independently.
Tasks are completed locally on various computers.
Networks enable the computers to exchange data and ser-vices but do not provide processing assistance.

Distributed computing was a major step forward in the way that businesses could leverage their hardware resources. However, it largely dealt with the sharing of data and printers. Processing was left to be done at each machine separately, without any specialization or assistance.