Abstract

In this report, we present different classification approaches for parallel architectures. Up to now, no general classification scheme is known. Our description of the various architectures does focus on the problem of trying to develop a rigorous classification system. There are many attempts on classification, but each of them takes its advantages of special aspects. We give an overview of the state of the art and discuss the difficulties of the general approach. 1 Flynn's Classification System - One of the first attempts to classify parallel systems is as well the simplest as the most popular one. In 1972, Flynn published his approach distinguishing computers by the number of their two different information streams, the instruction- and the data streams, see [Fly72] [HB84]. Flynn defines four classes: SISD: Single Instruction Single Data, SIMD: Single Instruction Multiple Data, MISD: Multiple Instruction Single Data, MIMD: Multiple Instruction Multiple Data and di...

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