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Scyld to Release Beowulf 2
grantedparole noted that Scyld has announced that they'll be releasing Beowulf 2 on tuesday. Scyld's CTO is none other then Don Becker. Presumably they'll be showing this off at ALS this week (ALS is the Atlanta Linux Showcase, and is probably the best of all the Linux shows. Since its in Atlanta, its also the only tradeshow that doesn't require me to take a connecting flight!).
...and this time, it's personal.
Sorry - couldn't resist it.
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
"Scyld Beowulf's unified approach extends to the systems installation and boot designs. The operating system on cluster slave nodes is downloaded from the front-end computer. Only a minimal boot image on either a floppy, a CD, or the cluster node's hard disk is required for each cluster node. Once booted, cluster node configuration is controlled by the front-end"
This is a great feature.. You can upgrade the Kernel or Apps on the entire cluster by simply patching the Master Node..
I think it's time to start collecting old Compaq's again. But where will I put them all?
Pontiac
If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. --Red Adair
Don Becker, while at NASA's atmopheric labs, had the vision of using many Linux boxes as a cluster before Linux was even at the 1.0 revision level. He is often creditied as being the inventor of Beowulf. He wrote over half the network drivers in Linux and Beowulf as a means to an end.
This is a boring sig
[Sorry about my other crap post...return in the subject textbox submits :( ]
MOSIX has transparent fork-and-forget process migration, but is a bitch to set up. It would be nice if the Beowulf-style setup (and process management tools) were available in a MOSIX like cluster. Beowulf is still for MPI apps and MOSIX is still for "normal" apps, but it will be interesting as these two products develop to see where they overlap...
Your problem doesn't need a fancy solution. Copy the database to all the local hard drives, and use them from there. When you change the database, recopy it. If "rarely" is "rarely enough", that simple solution will get you there.
From your name, it sounds like you're doing gene sequence searches. Lots of people do it that way.
--To the tune of Van Halen's "Panama"
Jump back, what's that sound?
Here it comes, case open power down.
Cold boot, running through the fs check.
Awesome parallel. Running on Intel.
Don't ya know I'm gonna 0wn SETI?
I'm gonna factor primes.
I'll find pi....
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf
Ain't nothing like it, a cruddy machine.
Take some old Pentiums and a Red Hat CD.
NIC cards, buy 'em by the crate and save.
Got some 100-base running through my bedroom.
Don't ya know I'm gonna 0wn SETI?
I'm gonna factor primes.
RC5....
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf
(spoken)
Yeah, we're running a little bit hot tonight.
I can barely see the screen from the heat comin' off of it.
I reach down, between my legs....
Pop the CD tray....
You're flustered. I'm clustered.
Like a Cray running in my closet now.
Got the boxes. Alan Cox's.
Mips a floppin', ain't no stoppin' now!
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf!
Beowulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf-ulf
-- In the future, everyone will code Perl for 15 minutes. --