[PD] pd with SMP?

[Shahrokh Yadegari]

I have found the multiprocessor to be useful specially when the screen
updates compete with the synthesis process. At times on a single processor
I have noticed that if there are many number boxes in an open window, even
though the pd process may not use up all the cpu, clicks can be heard due
to graphics updates when the mouse is moved. In such cases, having two
processors helps as 'pd' and 'pd-gui' could run on different processors.

Shahrokh.

On Fri, 19 Jul 2002, Jonathan Nelson wrote:

>
> Hello,
>
> I'm helping develop an installation using pd (linux).  We are quite poor,
> but still manage to have the choice between using a single celeron 533 MHz
> processor, or a SMP system with two celerons running at 523 MHz.
>
> There are four cheap sound cards in this system to give us eight outputs.
> I think these must all take their input from one pd, as we need to
> smoothly move between them.
>
> The question is this:
>
> Is there a good way to take advantage of both processors in the SMP
> configuration (and would this provide a significant performance gain over
> a single processor)?
>
> Is Open Sound Control (OSC) the only way to do this (run a pd on each
> processor, with a mixing stage in one of them, and OSC providing the
> pipe)?  Does anyone know if the overhead associated with OSC would make
> this a bad idea?  Anything better?  Any simple solutions?
>
> I hope some of that made sense.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -j
>
>