IBM Open Sources Supercomputer Code

eldavojohn writes "IBM has announced at the LinuxWorld conference that they are now hosting all their supercomputing stack software as open source from the University of Illinois. From the article: 'The software will initially support Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 and IBM Power6 processors. IBM is planning to add support for Power 575 supercomputing servers and IBM x86 platforms such as System x 3450 servers, BladeCenter servers and System x iDataPlex servers. The stack includes several distinct software tools that have been tested and integrated by IBM. These include the Extreme Cluster Administration Toolkit (xCAT), originally developed for large clusters based on Intel's commodity x86 architecture but now modified for clusters based on IBM's own Power architecture. xCAT is used in the National Nuclear Security Administration's Roadrunner Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico — a hybrid cluster currently ranked by the official Top 500 list as the world's most powerful supercomputer.' For several years, Linux has been a strong tool for supercomputing."

Comments

Sweet

[0100010001010011]

Now I have something to run on that spare Power4 I have laying around in the basement.

Re:Sweet

[pleappleappleap]

I don't know about you, but I actually do have extra POWER hardware in my basement. And my living room. And my dining room.

Re:Sweet

[ksd1337]

I hear Vista runs decent on this hardware.

Great

[thammoud]

Just when there no longer any COBOL programmers around.

Re:Great

[pleappleappleap]

COBOL for supercomputers? I don't think so. More FORTRAN. COBOL is used for business code. These machines are primarily used for modeling.

Re:Great

[Nerdfest]

These machines are primarily used for modeling.

You mean like on a runway across the top of the machines? You may have just thought of a way to re-ignite interest in supercomputing.

Yes, but does it run Linu...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh wait, nevermind.

Photoshop this Supercomputer Dialysis Machine

[Nymz]

Since /. was adding pictures, Farking them is only a natural extension of expression. Supercomputer Dialysis Machine

patents?

[Anonymous Coward]

will it be offered in paper or plastic ?

California Payroll Fix!

[blckholehorizon]

maybe we could set up a super computer now in the state of California to fix their COBOL programs, to exhaustively iterate though all combinations, of COBOL statements, and eventually it will come up with a solution to their payroll problems. We could have it race with programming monkeys, or ninjas. Whoever loses gets to arm wrestle Arnold.

Re:the real goal

[mikael]

I heard this story about Cray. If you bought a supercomputer and support contract from them, they would throw in the free construction of an office block to run the computer in.