Microsoft XP

[blurblock]

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 (1 to 2 CPUs) was the first Microsoft OS that supports SMP. Windows NT Server 4.0 (1 to 4 CPUs) as well.
Then followed by Windows 2000 Pro (1 to 2 CPUs), W2k Server (1 to 4 CPUs) and Win2k Advanced Server (1 to 8 CPUs).
And then Window XP Pro (1 to 2 CPUs)
Then Windows 2003 Server, etc...

Windows 95 (all releases), 98, 98SE, ME do not support SMP. Having two CPUs in your system does not give you any advantage.

I also read somewhere also that Intel P4 HT works only on Microsoft Windows (correct me if I'm wrong). Try installing Redhat on your HT-enabled PC and see whether it will detect the system as an SMP system. If not, then you should know what it means. It seems more like a "software" SMP. Perhaps it takes a Linux geek to come up with a new kernel for that purpose.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. :sweat:

Intel Hyperthread support anything that has Hyperthreading code written on it. As long as the code is corresponding with the processor, there is no difference whether it is Windows or Unix.

There is already SMP in Linux ... years ago ...... The graphics in Titanic was processed by a Linux SMP farm with 256 processors

 

[sriram]

This is to correct some wrong answers on this forum claiming that Linux doesn't support hyperthreading.

Right from the later 2.4 and 2.5 kernel days, the SMP kernels were HT aware. We're currently on kernel 2.6.9 btw. In fact many Linux vendors officially support HT technology, and here are some articles for you to browse.

http://www.suse.de/en/company/press/press_releases/archive02/sles_xeon.html
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-htl/

Of course, a redhat install (out of the box) may or may not support HT (I run debian so can't comment on redhat) but on any linux distro you can custom build a kernel to support HT and SMP. It is easy and costs nothing.

 

[yaoxing]

This is to correct some wrong answers on this forum claiming that Linux doesn't support hyperthreading.

Right from the later 2.4 and 2.5 kernel days, the SMP kernels were HT aware. We're currently on kernel 2.6.9 btw. In fact many Linux vendors officially support HT technology, and here are some articles for you to browse.

http://www.suse.de/en/company/press/press_releases/archive02/sles_xeon.html
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-htl/

Of course, a redhat install (out of the box) may or may not support HT (I run debian so can't comment on redhat) but on any linux distro you can custom build a kernel to support HT and SMP. It is easy and costs nothing.

Thanks. I just realised that Redhat 9 already have out-of-the-box support for HT. :embrass:

:bsmilie:

 

[yaoxing]

Intel Hyperthread support anything that has Hyperthreading code written on it. As long as the code is corresponding with the processor, there is no difference whether it is Windows or Unix.

There is already SMP in Linux ... years ago ...... The graphics in Titanic was processed by a Linux SMP farm with 256 processors

SMP in Linux is not new, but I used to think of HT as something different from SMP.

So, is there any difference between HT and SMP?

 

[blurblock]

SMP in Linux is not new, but I used to think of HT as something different from SMP.

So, is there any difference between HT and SMP?

Hey .... one minute you say wanting Redhat to detect SMP system, one minute Hyperthreading?

--Quote --

Try installing Redhat on your HT-enabled PC and see whether it will detect the system as an SMP system. If not, then you should know what it means

--- end of Quote --

Anyway, just for info, when there is SMP there is definately Hyperthreading, or else SMP is useless, why do you need a multiprocessor system which process one code at a time? Having 256 processors processing 1 code??? but having a Hyperthreading capable processor does not mean it can support SMP.

HT is like a spin off from SMP. During Unix days, it is called Multithreading or sometime parallel processing (not a techinically right term as there are spin off of Asymmetric Multiprocessing and Symmetric Multiprocessing, but often used loosely) , where two or more threads of code is read and processed by the processor at the same time..... bla bla bla .... etc etc etc


Anyway, I don't use Redhat either .... I am more of a SuSE kind of person .... been using that since 1998 .... just before Y2K

 

[gooseberry]

...when there is SMP there is definately Hyperthreading, or else SMP is useless...

Hmmm...

SMP and Hyper-Threading Technology are two different things.

SMP (or Symmetric Multi-Processing) is the processing of programs using multiple processors that share a common OS and memory.

Hyper-Threading Technology is an Intel tech where a single processor can execute two code threads simultaneously.

You can have an SMP system using processors without Hyper-Threading technology.

 

[hoppinghippo]

errr that's great and all, but can someone pls talk english?? I'm totally lost!!! so for HT, the trick is in having an OS that recognises it and allows you to utilise HT which then is not dependent on the actual programme being run, is this rite? so to the dumb layman like me, I just need to get win XP Pro (and not Home edition) and I can immediately use the HT hardware I currently have? no need to configure anything? sorry for the simple questions, I"m really not very tech savy!

 

[gooseberry]

HT technology can be used by both XP Pro and Home edition. XP Pro allows you to use two processors - Home edition only one.

 

[hoppinghippo]

arrrrrr.... thank you gooseberry!! now I get it!! heh.... :O)

 

[reachme2003]

the dell person on the phone said that XP PE is 'more stable' than XP HE. she was unable to elaborate when asked what does it meant. so, my question is again 'is XP PE necessary for HT to function?' OR XP HE does not support HT function? non-techie here, so pls explain as plain as possible, sorry.

 

[yaoxing]

Hey .... one minute you say wanting Redhat to detect SMP system, one minute Hyperthreading?
--Quote --
Try installing Redhat on your HT-enabled PC and see whether it will detect the system as an SMP system. If not, then you should know what it means
--- end of Quote --

oops, what I was trying to say was Redhat might not identify a HT system as a SMP system because the two are actually not the same thing.

HT technology can be used by both XP Pro and Home edition. XP Pro allows you to use two processors - Home edition only one.

Do you mean even in Home edition, the task manager will show up two processors?

the dell person on the phone said that XP PE is 'more stable' than XP HE. she was unable to elaborate when asked what does it meant. so, my question is again 'is XP PE necessary for HT to function?' OR XP HE does not support HT function? non-techie here, so pls explain as plain as possible, sorry.

More stable? Very vague description. Either she's trying to "smoke" you or she is simply referring to a list of FAQ and standard answers. Let gooseberry enlighten us. ;p

 

[gooseberry]

Do you mean even in Home edition, the task manager will show up two processors?

Quote from Microsoft

Both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional treat a Hyper-Threading enabled computer as a multiple processor computer. You can verify this by looking in Device Manager, under the Computer and Processors nodes:
• In Computer, you can expect the computer to be described as a multiprocessor PC.
• In Processors, you can expect multiple processors to appear installed.

 

[hoppinghippo]

Quote from Microsoft

Both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional treat a Hyper-Threading enabled computer as a multiple processor computer. You can verify this by looking in Device Manager, under the Computer and Processors nodes:
• In Computer, you can expect the computer to be described as a multiprocessor PC.
• In Processors, you can expect multiple processors to appear installed.

Wow!!! you're rite!!! that's one new thing I learnt today!! cool stuff, thanx!

 

[yaoxing]

Wow!!! you're rite!!! that's one new thing I learnt today!! cool stuff, thanx!

Me too, learnt something new.

 

[humbug]

as far as i know Pro edition does not require you activate but home edition does.. Any hardware u changed within Home edition OS would prompt you for activiation which requires you to call MS support. You can only change 3 times your hardware configuration.

have changed more than 10 times using home edition. first three times thru internet and the rest have to be done thru phone. using 'home' and 'pro' now and both needs to be activted.

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

just a sidetrack...

there is anti WPA crack in the net, althou all my pcs have original win xp pro (i just dun like to use xp home... 250 each... oem somemore) anyway, the crack allows us not to get the activation thingy.. really a bother.

btw, anybody tried 2 cpu with HT rig? is it displayed as quad processor?

 

[kegler]

dun use pirated versions.....microsoft will hunt u down, block your os and refuse all updates.

:nono:

works on someone like me too....lol... have never use pirated os after win3.1 lol

 

[ReSpawN]

Check the difference from Microsoft website

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

 

[blurblock]

Hmmm...

SMP and Hyper-Threading Technology are two different things.

SMP (or Symmetric Multi-Processing) is the processing of programs using multiple processors that share a common OS and memory.

Hyper-Threading Technology is an Intel tech where a single processor can execute two code threads simultaneously.

You can have an SMP system using processors without Hyper-Threading technology.

Yes and No, Hyperthreading is an extension of Multithreading techonolgy back in the old days of Unix. The idea of Multithreading is to be able to process mutliple code and instructions at one go, the original idea is to allow multiple processors to process a set of instructions at one go.

Hyperthreading, or simultaneous multithreading, is just a name Intel gives when it port and extended the technology from unix processors. .... bla bla bla .....

Anyway, it is a long long story ....... read this article to get a slightly clearer picture of HT / MT and it's relation with SMP and ASMP

http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/hyperthreading.ars

But you are right when you say "You can have an SMP system using processors without Hyper-Threading technology" .... but for me, all the while I had viewed Hyper-Threading Technology as a logical extension of Multithreading technology, and SMP relies on Multithreading to work properly.

 

[gooseberry]

Hi blurbock,

What I was referring to was your comment here...

...when there is SMP there is definately Hyperthreading, or else SMP is useless...

I was pointing out the fact that SMP and Hyper-Threading technology are two different things - SMP is at the processor level, HT is at the thread level. You can have one without the other.