(1) Pertaining to simultaneous execution of two or more programs or sequences of instructions by a computer. (2) Use of a linked set of central processors to perform parallel processing. (3) Having two or more processors in one computer and the operating system's ability to take advantage of these processors. In symmetrical multiprocessing, the operating system is capable of assigning tasks on the fly to the next available CPU. In Asymmetrical multiprocessing, the software designer must designate which CPU should be used for a given task. (7/96)