In data parallelism, the data is distributed to all of the tasks in the virtual machine. PVM programs may also use a mixture of both models to fully exploit the strengths of different machines. Network considerations are also important if you are using a cluster of machines. Different computers will have different processing power. Even if they are all the same model of workstation, there can be sizable performance differences due to multitasking of other users.
Network latencies can cause problems.
Also, the processing power available may change dynamically based on machine loads. To combat these problems, some form of load balancing should be used. Conclusion Hopefully this tutorial has shown you the basics of programming with PVM and demonstrated some of its capabilities. For more information, you should consult the user's guide, as well as the man pages. Both are available online.