Definition of Asymmetric Multiprocessing (AMP) in Network Encyclopedia.

What is AMP (Asymmetric Multiprocessing)

Asymmetric Multiprocessing is an approach to distributing processing load on a multiprocessor computer (a computer with more than one CPU) in which each processor is assigned specific tasks to perform. For example, one processor might be dedicated to managing I/O requests, another to executing network requests, another to running a user application, and so on.

This is in contrast to symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), in which the operating system evenly distributes the application load across multiple processors. In SMP, individual processes are not mapped to specific processors but instead are assigned to available processors by the operating system.

Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 support SMP but not asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP).