Distributed Computing is a type of computing which involves the sharing, gathering and processing of data by multiple computers connected through a network. It is an effective use of resources and is suitable for many different types of tasks.
In distributed computing, each server or computer divides and distributes data across multiple computers. This is done largely for the purpose of computing power, redundancy or to create parallel processing applications. The data may be transferred to different geographical locations, due to the properties of distributed computing. As each computer is connected through a network, the only commonality between them is that the data is distributed accordingly.
Distributed computing can be further divided into two categories: grid computing and cluster computing. Grid computing involves the connection of computers located in different geographical locations. Cluster computing involves the sharing of computing resources within the same location.
In comparison to traditional computing, distributed computing offers advantages such as high availability and scalability. This is due to the fact that because data is distributed, it is less likely to experience a single point of failure, meaning data is less likely to be lost and easier to recover. Furthermore, the addition of more computers to the network means that the computing power is increased, creating the ability to solve complex tasks faster.
Due to these advantages, distributed computing is used in many industries. Some applications and services such as web-based compute clusters, large scale data analysis, genomic sequencing and virtual reality use distributed computing.
Distributed computing is constantly evolving to become more efficient and popular due to the increasing demand for large scale computing. As a result, modern distributed computing technologies such as cloud computing, peer-to-peer computing and mobile computing are being used more and more to better meet this demand.
In a modern world where data is increasing rapidly in size and complexity, distributed computing stands as the most efficient way to process, store and manage large amounts of data.
