VSE/POWER Multiprocessor Support
This section describes the multiprocessor support within VSE/POWER. For an overview of the multiprocessor support within the z/VSE® system, consult the publication VSE/ESA Turbo Dispatcher Guide and Reference. It describes at length how the Turbo Dispatcher works within z/VSE and gives a detailed definition of parallel work units (PA) and non-parallel work units (NP).
Following is just a brief description of these processing
units:
- Parallel work unit
- A series of instructions, typically user applications, which do not modify z/VSE system control blocks and which can be given control at any time on any CPU of a multiprocessor system.
- Non-parallel work unit
- A series of instructions, typically VSE system services which, when given control on a CPU of a multiprocessor system, modify z/VSE system control blocks. That is why at the same time on other CPU's no other NP work unit must be processed while PA work units of other partitions can be given control.
Up to release 6.1.0, VSE/POWER executed as non-parallel work unit. Starting with VSE/POWER 6.1.1 it became possible to request parallel processing for VSE/POWER when running on a multiprocessor.