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BigTux Shows Linux Scales To 64-Way

Posted by timothy on from the can't-let-you-do-that-dave dept.

An anonymous reader writes "HP has been demonstrating a Superdome server running the Stream and HPL benchmarks, which shows that the standard 2.6 Linux kernel scales to 64 processors. Compiling the kernel didn't scale quite so well, but that was because it involves intermittent serial processing by a single processor. The article also notes that HP's customers are increasingly using Linux for enterprise applications, and getting more interested in using it on the desktop..."

2 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So this time.. by ikewillis · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This is the real question which is oft ignored. There is far too great an emphasis of being able to manage n CPUs rather than how effectively kernel services operate on n CPUs.

    The answers have to do with fine grained locking of kernel services, so that the number of resource contentions between processors can be mitigated through a diverse number of locks with the hope that diversifying locks will ensure that fewer will be likely to be held at a given time, or designing interfaces that don't require locking of kernel structures at all.

    At any rate, Amazon successfully powers their backend database with Linux/IA64 running on HP servers. YMMV, but if it's good for what most would consider the preminent online merchant, it's probably good enough for you too.

  2. Read my lips by Chatz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Linux scaling to 512 processors:
    http://www.sgi.com/features/2004/oct/ columbia/

    The story should be HP has finally caught up to where SGI were 2 years ago.\

    --
    There is folly and foolishness on the one side, and daring and calculation on the other. - Admiral Pellew, Hornblower