Difference between processor CPU core in parallel launch
 

Hello,

I don't understand very well the difference between "core" and "processor", so I am a bit confused in determining what is the maximum number of "processors" that I should consider for a parallel launch.

I was testing a machine with:
16 processors Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2680 0 @ 2.70Ghz

therefore in my openFOAM test case I tried a simulation with 16 processors.
And I was thinking: "16 is the maximum number allowed".

Then I realized that each CPU E5-2680 has apparently 8 cores:
http://ark.intel.com/products/64583/

does it mean that I can consider each core as a "processor" and run an analysis in parallel with 16 * 8 = 128 "processors" ?
Now I was testing
the analysis runs, OpenFOAM creates the 128 processors directories, no error.

Can I conclude:

max "processor" number for parallel analysis = number of multicore processors * number of cores for each processor

is it right?

Regards

Ale

All modern cpu's today have more than one core. Each core can be considered a processor. If you have 16 cpu's and each cpu is built from 8 cores then you should be able to run 16x8=128 parallel processes.