Clustering commodity PC hardware - A web log

[Matt1eD]

Thanks, that seems quite complicated (And clever)

I don't use 3dsmax or whatever it is but quite a few users 'split' it for that, are the scripts to 'split' it built in.

So say how could you run folding@home or similar across loads of say 233MHz comps?

[directhex]

something like BOINC you wouldn't schedule, you'd just run it - at worst, you'd use a parallel shell (gives a linux shell, but commands are run on several computers instead of just 1)

as for how 3DS does split jobs, i have no idea. I just work with stuff like GROMACS

[Matt1eD]

Cheers for the explanation. Is there like a (no doubt expensive) book or something about this - it sounds really interesting.

[Scarlet Infidel]

Yes, this is all very interesting, i was going to read up and try this some months back. However i dont like linux much at the minute, is there software in place to cluster with windows? Or is it far simpler to learn to love linux?

[directhex]

Yes, this is all very interesting, i was going to read up and try this some months back. However i dont like linux much at the minute, is there software in place to cluster with windows? Or is it far simpler to learn to love linux?

nobody -SERIOUS- runs Windows on a cluster.

for one thing, you want CPU power going onto computation, not opengl screensavers (and there's no Windows for Supercomputers yet)

that said, there -ARE- drivers for using Myrinet kit under windows. i seem to recall 3 of the top 500 supercomputers in the world run it.

oh, and don't forget you'd need a windows license for every compute node

that said, there are some efforts in the GRID community to Cycle Scavenge (like BOINC), and that's particularly Windows-friendly. it's not proper parallel computing, but it IS Windows-friendly

[directhex]

actually, i lie, i think the university of southampton runs a windows cluster - they advertise the fact heavily, suggesting that MS paid for it & told them "tell everyone how great windows is for supercomputing"

[Scarlet Infidel]

Im sure they came up with some sort of modified version of ms server or whatever they call it. Ive never found linux to be fast anyway (flame away if you must) tho thats probably my lack of experience. And to be honest who owns seperate copies of windows for every pc, however your legal point is taken.

would it be at all possible to use windows as my workstation with a linux server and lunx nodes, then i wouldnt have to deal with it much. I think i need to do some serious reading and research. My knowledge of networks and processing is limited at best, theres only one way to learn.

[directhex]

Im sure they came up with some sort of modified version of ms server or whatever they call it.

unreleased as of yet (Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster x64 Edition)

Ive never found linux to be fast anyway (flame away if you must) tho thats probably my lack of experience.

yep, it is. also note the availability of software - almost all HPC applications come for Linux, Solaris or AIX. a few for MacOSX (since it's UNIXy). almost none for Windows.

And to be honest who owns seperate copies of windows for every pc, however your legal point is taken.

running a 256 node cluster without licenses is a fast-track to seven figure fines at best

would it be at all possible to use windows as my workstation with a linux server and lunx nodes, then i wouldnt have to deal with it much.

that's the idea. most people contact a head node with PuTTY from Windows machines.

I think i need to do some serious reading and research. My knowledge of networks and processing is limited at best, theres only one way to learn.

http://bofh.be/clusterknoppix/

or buy Rys' cluster, which is the real deal (i.e. has real HPC interconnect)

[Matt1eD]

Cheers directhex, this has been great help and interesting. Want to read loads more now!

[Scarlet Infidel]

Thanks for the help, very useful. Id just like to make clear im only interested in trying it for a bit of fun and gaining experience with maybe 4 or 5 very basic nodes. Nothing big and expensive.

[directhex]

clusterknoppix is probably appropriate for that level of interest, though an old *real* cluster is much closer to the *real* thing

[HmmmmTim]

Oh cluster.

I'll miss you so.