Peer-to-Peer Computing : Building Supercomputers with Web Technologies

An organisation usually has many microcomputers and workstations, which may be connected by a local network. However, many of these microcomputers and workstations are not used at all after office hours. Even when they are used, most of them are doing word processing, web browsing, etc., which take up less than 5% of the CPU power. By incorporating methods presented in this book, a peer-to-peer system can be built quickly. The CPU power of all computers can be shared by users who need more CPU power. Such a system may exceed the performance of supercomputers in some applications.