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With Linux Clusters, Seeing Is Believing

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the believing-is-truth dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "As the recent release of the last Top500 list reminded us last month, the most powerful computers now are reaching speeds of dozens of teraflops. When these machines run a nuclear simulation or a global climate model for days or weeks, they produce datasets of tens of terabytes. How to visualize, analyze and understand such massive amounts of data? The answer is now obvious: using Linux clusters. In this very long article, "From Seeing to Understanding," Science & Technology Review looks at the technologies used at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which will host the IBM's BlueGene/L next year. Visualization will be handled by a 128- or 256-node Linux cluster. Each node contains two processors sharing one graphic card. Meanwhile, the EVEREST built by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has a 35 million pixels screen piloted by a 14-node dual Opteron cluster sending images to 27 projectors. Now that Linux superclusters have almost swallowed the high-end scientific computing market, they're building momentum in the high-end visualization one. The article linked above is 9-page long when printed and contains tons of information. This overview is more focusing on the hardware deployed at these two labs."

9 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Realisation about this procedure by Vvornth · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is how we nerds measure our penises. ;)

    1. Re:Realisation about this procedure by Rellik66 · · Score: 3, Funny

      uh-oh, more bad pick-up lines for Linux Geeks:

      "you don't need to imagine how big my beowulf cluster is"

      --

      Too many zeros, not enough ones

    2. Re:Realisation about this procedure by Kingpin · · Score: 3, Funny


      And it's always the guys with small clusters who say that size doesn't matter?

      --
      Unable to read configuration file '/bigassraid/htdig//conf/14229.conf'
      Geocrawler error message.
  2. Is that US or metric tons? by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 4, Funny
    The article linked above is 9-page long when printed and contains tons of information.

    Damn! What kind of paper stock are you printing on?

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
  3. Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Supercomputers have become so advanced we need more supercomputers just to understand them.

  4. Regarding the story title by weeboo0104 · · Score: 3, Funny

    With Linux Clusters, Seeing Is Believing

    Does this mean that we don't have to just imagine a Beowulf cluster anymore?

    --
    It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
  5. Finally.... by ElvenMonkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    A machine that can compile a Stage1 Gentoo install in a reasonable amount of time.

    --
    "Joy is not in things; it is in us." Richard Wagner
  6. You are correct, sir by Gzip+Christ · · Score: 4, Funny
    Does this mean that we don't have to just imagine a Beowulf cluster anymore?
    That's right - now Beowulf cluster visualizes you!
  7. Re:Roland Piquepaille and Slashdot by ameoba · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's something fundamentally flawed about any business venture in which you rely on Slashdot readers to actually try reading the article...

    --
    my sig's at the bottom of the page.