Linux Clustering

[djpolstee]

I'm lookin to build a 20+ cluster of P3 with something like 512meg Ram and 20 gig HDD. I'm looking for input on an OS to use and also maybe some tutorial/guides. I've read the info on my school's supercomputing project (http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/) but it wasn't exactly helpful.

And I actually don't have a girl to impress, but it would be awesome if this project did impress some girls

 

[MrChad]

I wanna impress my girlfriend

:laugh:

Sorry, I don't have anything constructive to offer. How do you have access to 20+ P3s?

 

[Sunner]

The only clusters I've ever messed with was one Veritas and one Stonebeat.
If you've got the cash to buy either, chances are actually pretty high you could impress girls as well

 

[djpolstee]

Sorry, I don't have anything constructive to offer. How do you have access to 20+ P3s?

We just replaced all the pcs in a lab, so the "old" are being put to "good" use.

 

[Canterwood]

Originally posted by: djpolstee
And I actually don't have a girl to impress, but it would be awesome if this project did impress some girls

Errr......well your mom might be proud.

 

[phisrow]

Try http://openmosix.sourceforge.net/ If you don't want to mess with the details, try http://bofh.be/clusterknoppix/ (a knoppix cd with openmosix already installed). If you do want to mess with the details, try http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/B...eowulf_book/index.html Best of luck.

 

[drag]

Linux clustering is easy. That openmosix and those live cds that people have made for them make it a peice of cake (relatively) to setup a Linux cluster.

They are not going to be be like the big clusters for computational purposes. OpenMosix is a load balancing setup, it will move proccessess around to balance the load between many computers. Computational clusters like ones that use Beowolf technology have special programming technics that divide up jobs so to make them possible to proccess them in a parallel way. With OpenMosix you have benifits even with just normal programs.

nowadays the majority of the most powerfull computers in the world are linux beowolf-style clusters..

Keep in mind that there are many different types of clusters...
Beowolf-style massively parrallell proccessing clusters.
OpenMosix style load balancing clusters.
High aviability clustering (so if a machine fails another one kicks in automaticly)
Network load balancing clusters (many computers with same IP address that dynamicly load balance server requests between machines)
Single System Image (OpenSSI project attempts to get this), were you have a cluster with a single root filing system, single /dev/ setup, and single pool or harddrive/memory/cpu time space.

For instance LiveJournal and Google use a combination of Load balancing and highaviablity clusters. You can mix and match different aspects of all the different styles to suite any purpose. OpenMosix is the easiest to setup, though, especially with those live cds.

Also many high-cpu-usage tasks have programs that create special purpose clusters. For instance many higher-end video editing programs such as Apple's Shake and Cinerella have the ability to setup programs on multiple Linux (and windows and mac) machines to do batch rendering to speed up development time. Many nicer 3d programs do the same thing for rendering 3d scenes and movies, you can buy rendering licenses for Shake to run on network machines.. Also many movie studios setup special purpose beowolf style programs and clusters for rendering stuff. Movies like Shriek and the later movies from Lord of the Rings series were rendered (and modelled) using Linux clusters.

 

[djpolstee]

drag, phisrow, preciate the help

oh and Canterwood, my mom is proud