SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) is the processing of

programs by multiple processor that share a common

operating system and memory. In symmetric (or "tightly

coupled") multiprocessing, the processors share memory and

the I/O bus or data path. A single copy of the operating

system is in charge of all the processors. SMP, also known as a

"shared everything" system, does not usually exceed 16

processors.
 
 

SMP systems are considered better than MPP systems for

online transaction processing (OLTP) in which many users

access the same database in a relatively simple set of

transactions. An advantage of SMP for this purpose is the

ability to dynamically balance the workload among

computers (and as a result serve more users faster).
 
 

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