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Use Other PC's CPU over network??

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by singlecoillover

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Today I copied a 3 gigabyte file from one computer on my network to another computer on my network. While the file was copying I noticed that the the processors on BOTH machines were in use to facilitate the copying process.

Now, if this is possible. Would it not also be possible to somehow share a CPU over the network, and have some utility to assign certain processes to a network CPU and have other ones run on the onboard CPU?

Say I wanted to encode a video. That normally takes up most of my Processor. But, if I could tell windows to use the CPU of another computer on my network, I could encode the video and do a whole bunch of other things at the same time. Essentially giving myself a dual-core system.

Shoot....if there were enough computers on the network I could encode a video, browse the web, run my antivirus, and play a game each off a different PC.

Is this possible?

10 replies

by rupendra soni

hi buddy,,
presently m also working on the same concept ....so can u share some valuable conclusions u came on ........whatever technology (server clustering ,grid computing etc .) it might b..bt still it must be achievable ....so let me in>>>> :-)

by ssfpridav

The reason you see both processors going is that one computers processor has to work to send the file from teh hard disk to the network and the other has to work to take the file in from the network and send it to it's local hard disk.

There isn't any CPU sharing going on.

The idea you have is something called grid computing and it is technically possible but it isn't generally available to the consumer.

by animatech

Just to put a bit of order in your question.
You cannot share a CPU on the network (at least I don't know of any way my self).
What you can do is to use another pc to do the job (Or what is known as sharing the resources).
For example when I am doing a piece of animation I am working on 1 PC on my network but I have set up the other PC's to be my render farm so every time I need to render something I can send it across to the other PC's to do the job.
Now some applications offer you the option of setting up a render farm where you can send your jobs or place them in a queue - 3dmax, Maya etc..
For others you will need to be a bit creative and find a solution.
If you run a search on the net you will even find tutorials on how to set up a render farm over the internet with your mates.
Once you have done that you can set up your anti virus\updates to run at hours that you are not using the PC.
Hope this helps

by singlecoillover

This type of network resource usage seems to be only available within intense graphic applications. I have been unable to find anything on the internet that would let me assign programs to run on a remote PC. I appreciate your replies tho.

by animatech

Well I just gave some examples never intended to go into detail solution.
I also said you may need to be creative finding other ways around the problem with other programs.
To be more clear you can set up a terminal server with dumb clients attached to it so when you or editing photos\video you are using the server CPU and not your PC ;) hope that helps

by downrighttired

at least not for what your thinking of anyway. you can actually sign up for a service (i forget the name) which will download an application to your pc and run calculations for cancer research when your not using your computer. It was rumored, though i dont know if it ever happened, that sony was going to do something like this w/ broadband PS3's. Its actually done alot in the netwrok industry, though its known as server clusetering. Theres not really a solution for what your talking about though.

by lmanyange

Okay dude i heard its possible. Since you are a student let me help you develop the application so that we can give it to others?

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