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A New List For Clustering NetBSD

Posted by Hemos on from the collect-'em-together dept.

jschauma writes "The NetBSD Project has created a new mailing list, tech-cluster. As the name suggests, this list is intended for technical discussions on building and using clusters of NetBSD hosts. Initially, this list is expected to be of low volume, but we hope to advocate and advance the use of NetBSD in such environments significantly. Subscription is via majordomo -- please see this page for details."

49 comments

  1. hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we sometimes call it a beowulf cluster. what do we call this? a devil-cluster?

    1. Re:hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      necro-cluster

    2. Re:hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A red-ink-flows-like-a-river-of-blood cluster.

    3. Re:hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A cluster of *BSD machines? A GRAVEYARD!

  2. BSD not really dying? by scumbucket · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I've been seen a lot of BDS stories on /. lately.
    I guess that means that BSD is not dying after all? Should I believe all the hype?

    --
    CMDRTACO CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
  3. A new mailing list is front page news?? by Captain+Kirk · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    What next? Are we going to see up to the minute reports on the mailing list traffic?

    --
    1000s Warcraft Gold while you sleep
    1. Re:A new mailing list is front page news?? by KDan · · Score: 1, Funny

      Not quite. I think they're planning to have a separate front-page post for every ACK packet relayed by the BSD clustering mailing lists' smtp servers.

      Daniel

      --
      Carpe Diem
    2. Re:A new mailing list is front page news?? by Brandybuck · · Score: 1

      Why not? We have to keep up with "One the Minute, Every Minute, Slashdot Linux coverage".

      --
      Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
    3. Re:A new mailing list is front page news?? by Jellybob · · Score: 1

      Strange that would happen in the BSD section of the site really.

      Yes, I'm nitpicking. Yes, I'm grouchy today.

    4. Re:A new mailing list is front page news?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would "moderate" you to hell in an instant. :)

  4. Oh good! by captainbonehead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I can learn how to build a cluster out of all of those Timex data watches, palms, and toasters cluttering my basement ...

    1. Re:Oh good! by endx7 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Like they say, windows and NetBSD are toaster OSes.

      Windows turns your computer into a toaster.

      NetBSD turns your toaster into a computer.

  5. Nice. by noselasd · · Score: 1

    Seems cool. Nothing beats having a bunch of daemons chewing at your data.

  6. Multiple Platforms by agent+dero · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Something i'd like to figure out, while I don't run NetBSD personally, how viable it would be to run a cluster of various platforms, for example a couple of macPPC, x-86, and UltraSPARC computers running as a netBSD cluster.

    Would NetBSD be able to overcome these big platform differences?

    --
    Error 407 - No creative sig found
    1. Re:Multiple Platforms by Noryungi · · Score: 2, Informative

      how viable it would be to run a cluster of various platforms, for example a couple of macPPC, x-86, and UltraSPARC computers running as a netBSD cluster. Would NetBSD be able to overcome these big platform differences?

      Actually, yes. While I am not a specialist of NetBSD, it runs very well on all these machines -- I had a doubt about the UltraSPARC, then I read this.

      The only thing that would be slightly different between these platforms would be the installation procedure, and even that procedure is fairly standardized.

      Once the NetBSD system is installed ,everything should work exactly in the same way over all these platforms -- the only difference would be the device names and the name assigned to the network interfaces.

      Please note that this type of cluster has been attempted before and it seems to work very well, albeit much more slowly than a high-performance (all Opteron, for instance) cluster.

      --
      The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
    2. Re:Multiple Platforms by serial+frame · · Score: 3, Insightful

      For clarification, I believe he was insinuating that NetBSD already runs on those platforms. His question is, of course, will several machines of different processor types be able to share and distribute processor time? For the time being, that answer is, unfortunately, no. However, if we are talking storage clusters, then yeah, everything would work out just fine.

      --

      -
      And the Angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots! The cries of the carrots!"
    3. Re:Multiple Platforms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heterogeneity support: The PVM system supports heterogeneity in terms of machines, networks, and applications. With regard to message passing, PVM permits messages containing more than one datatype to be exchanged between machines having different data representations.

    4. Re:Multiple Platforms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're careful of the data you pass between them, you could use an interpretted language to run the same program on each one. It wouldn't be as pretty as a warehouse full of Opteron boxes, but it would enable you to make use of the various machines.

      A Perl script would run the same on all the disparate computers if you took care how it was written.

    5. Re:Multiple Platforms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. We're actually using NetBSD/shark, SunOS/sun4c and Solaris8/sun4u with the PVM package (NetBSD
      pkgsrc/parallel/pvm) for a parallel programming course here.

  7. AI? by utlemming · · Score: 0

    Imagine the fun we could have if we got a NetBSD cluster with AI capabilities -- "It's the DEVIL!"

    --
    The views expressed are mine own and do not express the views of my employer.
    1. Re:AI? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it is a "tool" or "instrument". Used as follows "the windows planform is a tool of the devil" that is a bad example but you get the point...

  8. Mosix? by DAldredge · · Score: 1

    Are there any projects like OpenMOSIX/MOSIX for *bsd?

  9. Maybe this will spark interest in NetBSD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I see NetBSD as a great clustering platform. It's small, it's low in resources, and it's truly open source. The only thing is things like OpenMosix aren't there for NetBSD. Maybe someone will start developing a patch that does that kind of stuff.

    BSD Gear

  10. Re:Mice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Due to the troubles of Walnut Creek, abysmal sales and so on, FreeBSD went out of business and was taken over by BSDI who sell another troubled OS. Now BSDI is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.

    All major marketing surveys show that *BSD has steadily declined in market share. *BSD is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If *BSD is to survive at all it will be among hobbyist dilettante dabblers. In truth, for all practical purposes *BSD is already dead. It is a dead man walking.

    Fact: NetBSD is dying

  11. Re:Death is not pretty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    haiku

    flask of ripe urine
    pressed to bsd lips
    bsd drink up

  12. Re:You Have Been Trolled by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You lose. Try again.

  13. Hard Times for FreeBSD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Sure, we all know that FreeBSD is a failure, but why? Why did *BSD fail? Once you get past the fact that *BSD is fragmented between a myriad of incompatible kernels, there is the historical record of failure and of failed operating systems. *BSD experienced moderate success about 15 years ago in academic circles. Since then it has been in steady decline. We all know *BSD keeps losing market share but why? Is it the problematic personalities of many of the key players? Or is it larger than their troubled personas?

    The record is clear on one thing: no operating system has ever come back from the grave. Efforts to resuscitate *BSD are one step away from spiritualists wishing to communicate with the dead. As the situation grows more desperate for the adherents of this doomed OS, the sorrow takes hold. An unremitting gloom hangs like a death shroud over a once hopeful *BSD community. The hope is gone; a mournful nostalgia has settled in. Now is the end time for *BSD.