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IBM Creates New Fastest Beowulf Cluster
shawnb writes "It seems that IBM has created the world's fastest Linux cluster built from lots of small servers (64 IBM Netfinity 256 servers). The Netfinity servers are linked together using "special clustering software and high-speed networking hardware, which causes the separate units to act as one computer, delivering a processing speed of 375 gigaflops, or 375 billion operations per second." They also go on to say that this is the fastest Linux supercomputer, "it will only rank 24th on the list of the top 500 fastest supercomputers. " "
While I'm all in favor of breakfast cereal based supercomputers, particularly the linux driven variety, like everything else, there are many unforseen problems in implementing such a device. I've built seven such clusters myself (including a personal 60 box cluster of old 486 and P1s. It's mighty nifty), and each time I run into the same fscking problem.
Squirrels.
That's right, squirrels.
It has nothing to do with software conflicts, or processers overstepping each other. That can all be taken care of with a little bit of clever coding and hacks/workarounds. But that doesn't take care of the squirrel problem. Everytime I finally work around all the network tomfoolery, and get the power for umpteen boxes managable, like clockwork the squirrels come.
And they come not in single spies, they come in batallions.
It's never the same. Sometimes they just chew the wires. Sometimes they try and make off with a box or two. What the hell does a rodent need with a computer?!?!? Wait, I don't want to know the answer to that. My repeated attempts at hunting down and exterminating the wascally bastards are met with comic hijinxs and failure. And as far as I'm aware, there aren't any open sourced squirrel repellant systems. I can't trust a proprietary system to not conflict with the many many tweaks I've made to the system. But alas, I'm stuck with my ACME catalogue and a variety of clever devices which only fail and fail again, each one making me look successively worse.
So let's hope IBM can manage a good rodent-security system, and release it back into the community. God knows I've tried. I'm sure they will realize the importance of this issue after the first few attacks. This is a much overlooked problem, but we need a solution. And as soon as possible.
thankyoutheend.
A better account of what's going on -- complete with a description of how Beowulf is used -- can be found at http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/162 6/1/
it is on top500.org
You jest, but actually there is an NT supercluster within the National Computational Science Alliance. See here for more information. I was part of the original group which developed this clustering technology while it was a research project in the computer science department. Now that it has been deployed as a real computation resource, one of my projects is to make it available to the national computational grid which the Linux article discusses.
Deploying an NT cluster was certainly a challenge in some ways that would have been easier with Unix, but not impossible. Some of our collaborators have published results favorably comparing the performance of the NT supercluster to that of Linux clusters, so there seem to be good reasons to continue building at least some technology like this on NT.
Sorry couldn't resist.
More race stuff in one place,
than any one place on the net.
There is no mention of Beowulf in the article,
just "special clustering software"
Well to really drive this redundant topic into the gound. How about, maybe the moderator thought the beowulf cluster of beowulf clusters was kind of reapetedly redundant and then the repeated repeating of repeating the original repeating of the beowulf of beowulfs was being repeated and this was eyed, seen and viewed as redundant, then the moderating moderator moderated the repeated post outlining and stating in the verbage of the written post that in his/her point of view and from his/her mindset he/she thought that the repeated repeating of repeating the original repeating of the beowulf of beowulfs was being repeated and this was eyed, seen and viewed as redundant. So the moderating moderator moderated the repeated post outlining and stating in the verbage of the written post that in his/her point of view and from his/her mindset he/she thought that the repeated repeating of repeating the original repeating of the beowulf of beowulfs was being repeated and this was eyed, seen and viewed as redundant. This being said, the moderator more than likely tagged the repeatedly repeating repeat posts stating the redundancy of the redundancy was redundant.
More race stuff in one place,
than any one place on the net.
it will only rank 24th on the list of the top 500
I like the comment that its "only" 24th. As though being only the 24th richest person alive, or only having the worlds 24th fastest car would also be something to be sneezed at.
Anyway, is there a list of world supercomputer rankings?